


Haunting Haunted Haunts

by Deadlihood



Series: Hauntings [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst, M/M, Romance, Sufanxing is the new black
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-25
Updated: 2016-08-25
Packaged: 2018-08-10 22:23:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 28,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7863517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deadlihood/pseuds/Deadlihood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sehun is no stranger to hauntings, even the kind that exist between him and the love of his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Haunting Haunted Haunts

Sehun woke up to fingers tickling gently up his inner thigh. “I swear to God, Jongin, if you touch my dick one more time…” He muttered sleepily, shifting to close his legs.

“You’ll what?” Jongin mouthed absently at the curve of Sehun’s neck.

“It’s like three in the morning.” Sehun whined, one eye popping open to check the time on the alarm clock glowing by his bedside.

“What’s your point?”

“We fucked like, three times before you finally let me go to sleep.”

“Isn’t it nice to wake up to something like this?” Jongin pressed his fingers into a hickey he’d left on the inside of Sehun’s thigh, making the smaller man gasp.

“Not when I have work in the morning. Go back to sleep, Jongin.” Sehun was trying very hard not to reveal that he was _getting_ hard, but even the thought of sex made his ass hurt. Then again, it was always like this. Jongin would drop in for the evening, have dinner with him, fuck him into oblivion, and vanish with the sunrise. He’d never woken him up in the middle of the night for it though. Usually he was satisfied by however many times they’d screwed before Sehun finally collapsed from exhaustion.

“Come on, Sehunnie…” Jongin’s teeth pulled at Sehun’s earlobe and that was when the younger man had had it.

“Enough! Get back on your side of the bed!” Sehun beat him upside the head with the pillow, hitting him harder when he laughed.

“Fine, fine. I’ll stay over here.” Jongin said, stretching out like a big, golden cat. Sehun rolled his eyes in the darkness and flipped onto his side, facing away from Jongin. He’d just started to settle back into his mattress and feel sticky sleep pulling at him again when he heard the tell-tale sound of skin on skin.

“I can hear you jerking off.” Sehun growled out from between his teeth.

“I’m not doing anything.” God, he could _hear_ the fucker smiling.

“Jongin, I have work in the morning. And you have…whatever it is you do in the morning.”

“You mean my composing?” Jongin turned over, revealing he hadn’t actually been jerking himself off when he pressed the long line of his body up against Sehun’s back. “And you don’t actually have work until noon.”

“How do you know that?”

“I saw it on your calendar when I came in.” Sehun silently cursed Baekhyun for copying his schedule out onto the calendar.

“I want to sleep.” Sehun didn’t care that he was whining. “Please, let me go back to sleep.”

“But you’re up now.” The way his hand trailed down Sehun’s stomach made it very clear he knew that Sehun was hard.

“I don’t want to be up. In either way. Come on, my ass hurts.”

“Mine doesn’t.”

“My dick hurts, too.”

“Fine. I’ll just stay right here, though.” Jongin hooked his chin over Sehun’s shoulder, catching him in his limbs like a full body seatbelt, or some kind of face-hugging parasite. Sehun couldn’t really complain if he was going to shut the fuck up finally. And honestly, it was kind of nice to be cuddled up like this. It was freezing cold in his apartment. If he could have stood the stifling air that came with the heating system, he would have turned it on. Jongin was a better option, even if he kind of wasn’t letting Sehun move.

But the warmth and the silence and the feeling of someone breathing quietly behind him lulled him to sleep easily, and he woke up in an empty bed, the weak winter sun stretching across his floorboards. He though Jongin had left already, but he could hear the shower running. He checked the time; only nine am. He still had plenty of time to relax before he had to be at work. He thought about luxuriating in bed for a little longer until he felt his ass cheeks unstick from each other. No, a shower was necessary, and then he could luxuriate cleanly in his bed.

The shower curtain rattled open as Sehun padded into the bathroom, already stripping off his boxers. Jongin poked his head out from under the lukewarm spray. “You coming in?” He asked, brushing his blond hair back from his face.

“Yeah, just give me a second.” Sehun dumped some toothpaste on his toothbrush and started scrubbing at his teeth as he stretched one leg, then the other. Jongin’s toothbrush was still lying on the counter after he’d used it. Sehun didn’t sigh, not wanting to risk inhaling any toothpaste, and stuck it back in its cup. He finished and joined Jongin in the shower, mumbling a thank you when Jongin shuffled out of his way to let him get under the water. This was the weirdly domestic part of their relationship. They were really good at taking showers together efficiently.

Well, they usually were, because usually Sehun needed to be at work soon. But this morning, as Sehun was working purple shampoo into his silvery hair, Jongin was dropping kisses onto his shoulder, running his hands up Sehun’s flat stomach, and generally making a nuisance of himself.

Sehun blew purple suds onto him as he turned around to rinse his hair. Jongin didn’t even blink, just smeared the bubbles onto the side of Sehun’s face.

“Are you going to try to fuck me again?” Sehun asked, moving on to the purple conditioner. He was nothing if not particular about his shade of silvery blond.

“Maybe. Or you could fuck me, it’s your choice.”

“Really, I came in here to clean all the lube off and go back to bed clean for an hour or so.”

“We could do that.” Jongin’s full, pillowy mouth curved up into a smile before he kissed Sehun gently. He even helpfully soaped up Sehun’s back for him, although that seemed to be more of an excuse to touch his butt than anything else. Sehun didn’t really mind.

Damp and naked, the two of them curled back up under Sehun’s covers, enjoying the soft sheets and the warmth from their shower. Sehun liked the way his pale gold skin looked against Jongin’s deeper bronze, his lithe frame up against the broadness of Jongin’s body. Really, he and Jongin made a perfect pair, a perfect yin yang.

“Are you admiring me again?” Jongin asked, his voice rumbling out from under Sehun’s ear.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Sehun snorted and dug his head deeper into Jongin’s palm. “Why’d you stop?” Jongin had been carding his fingers through Sehun’s damp hair, which he knew Sehun loved.

“To admire you a little.” Jongin curled his fingers in the silvery strands. “Your hair looks like a unicorn.” It did, sort of. They were both bleach blond, but Sehun’s was a silvery white, while Jongin’s was more of a dirty platinum.

“Mmm.” Sehun murmured rather than try to answer. He was so warm and happy he didn’t think he ever wanted to move. At least, not until his alarm started ringing and he pulled his pillow over his face.

“Sehunnie, you need to get up.” Jongin said, a laugh coloring his voice. “Come on, at least make the godforsaken thing stop ringing.”

As a gift, Baekhyun had bought him one of those alarm clocks that required something specific to turn it off, so that he couldn’t just slam his hand down on it and turn it off. Instead, you had to press the star, diamond, and square shapes in a specific sequence to make it shut up. Sehun had yet to figure out how to do it with his eyes closed. As soon as he made it stop ringing, he flopped back down onto Jongin’s broad chest, curling in close.

“Hunnie, come on.”

“I don’t want to go to work.”

“You have to work, or you’ll lose your apartment.”

“I could always move in with you.” Sehun waited for the tension in Jongin’s muscles, the way they always tensed when he said anything about where Jongin lived.

“My place isn’t nice. So you need to keep this one so I can keep coming over.” He kissed the top of Sehun’s head. “Come on. Up you go.”

The domestic spell had been broken as soon as he’d mentioned Jongin’s place, so Sehun pulled himself upright and went about finding some clean clothes. Jongin catcalled him from the bed as he got dressed, until Sehun threw his discarded pants at him. Jongin caught them too easily and finally climbed out from under the covers.

Jongin made coffee while Sehun made himself look presentable and found his shoes. By the time he went into the kitchen, dressed in a thick hunter green sweater and shredded up jeans, Jongin had two cups of coffee waiting on the table, along with a banana for Sehun and a small muffin for himself.

“We spend entirely too much time together.” Sehun said, tasting his coffee. It was exactly the way he would have made it.

“We’re dating. Shouldn’t we be spending entirely too much time together?” Jongin raised one eyebrow as he took a bite of the muffin. His mouth looked stupidly pretty wrapping around baked goods. Sehun wished he dated someone a little less good looking so he didn’t have to worry about popping a boner at the breakfast table.

“I guess you’re right.” Sehun ate the banana quickly so Jongin wouldn’t manage to talk him into a goodbye blowjob and poured the rest of his coffee into a to-go cup. “Are you coming over again tonight?”

“Probably. I’ll text you if I’m not.” Jongin kept a hand on the small of Sehun’s back as they went down the stairs towards the parking garage. He was glad the garage was covered; he could hear the rain already coming down hard outside. The pleasures of living near a beach, he guessed. Ocean storms rolled in frequently and drenched the whole town.

“I’ll see you later.” Sehun gave Jongin a kiss goodbye, even slipping a little tongue in, before climbing into his car and heading for work.

Sehun was also grateful that his employee parking space was close to the back of the building and the stairs to the second floor were inside the building. He scurried inside and stamped his boots dry on the mat, the smell of coffee and baking goods filling his nose.

“Hey, Sehun. Late start?” Jongdae asked, closing the oven with his knee as he carefully balanced two hot trays of muffins in his hands.

“Minseok wanted to pick up some inventory before he opened the shop this morning.” Sehun waved hello to Luhan, out working the cash register, before going up the stairs to the shop. There were a set of stairs out by the front for customers, but this staircase brought him right up into the back room of the shop. He dropped his bag, put his lunch in the fridge, and dropped his jacket onto one of the chairs. The heat was already running full blast, enough that Sehun was glad he’d layered a t-shirt under his sweater.

“Hey, Sehun.” Minseok called from behind the counter. One of the windows was cracked behind him, letting in a hint of a damp breeze. Sehun suspected it would just make the shop humid, which couldn’t be good for the inventory. At least they kept the books in a glass case, where they weren’t so affected by temperature.

“So, what was so important we opened the store three hours late today?” Sehun asked, sipping on his coffee. Jongin had even added the sprinkling of cinnamon Sehun added to his coffee every now and then.

“I had to go out pretty far into the boonies to pick this up. Estate sale opened early this morning.” Minseok picked up the box from behind the counter, emptying its contents out onto the glass top.

“Minseok.” Sehun’s voice turned strangled, tight with fear. “Throw that out. Get rid of it.”

“Which one?” Minseok asked, hands already reaching for the pile.

“The letter opener. Get rid of it get rid of it-” He hardly expected Minseok to throw it directly out the window, where he heard it crash against the lid of the Dumpster. His boss turned back to him, pushing his wire rimmed glasses up his nose. They only magnified his truly huge eyes and made him look even more inhuman.

“Hey, take a breath, kid.” Minseok reached across the counter to poke Sehun in the chest. The icy dread that had wrapped around his lungs started to fade and he took another sip of cinnamon tinged coffee, letting the memory of Jongin anchor him back down to earth.

“Who died, exactly?” Sehun asked when he had enough breath to speak.

“Some old lady. I didn’t ask. But the woman running the sale told me that was a family heirloom.”

“Well it’s a family heirloom with some seriously bad shit attached to it.” Sehun shuddered. “Everything else feels clean. Nothing jumping out at me.”

“Good. I’ll go down later and make sure no one picks that up and takes it home.” Minseok cocked his head, examining Sehun with his magnified eyes. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“It’s not every day you hand me a murder weapon, Minseok.”

“Shit, a murder weapon?”

“Yeah. Old. And harboring something angry in it.” Sehun shook himself like a dog shaking off water. “If it had just been something sad, I would have cleared it out, but-”

“No, you don’t have to explain yourself. I’m not going to have you unleash some angry spirit in the shop, or worse, on yourself.” Minseok gathered the rest of his estate sale finds into the box again and dropped a sheet of paper on top of them. “Tag these for me, please. I’m waiting on a call from another dealer.”

“All right.” Sehun carried the box into the back room, kicking off his shoes and pulling his legs up under him. The prices Minseok had planned for them were written on the sheet of paper in his neat handwriting. All Sehun had to do was find the right item and write out the price tag for it. It was easy work compared to the other work that Sehun did for Minseok. He still had a scar from the last spirit he’d had to clear out of some fancy ass paperweight that Minseok had dug up. Once that was done, he wandered through the shop, finding appropriate places to put the new inventory. His fingers brushed a small carousel and he felt the burst of happiness that always came with it. He smiled, putting the box down so he could wind up the carousel. It moved and played a tinny version of “La Vie en Rose,” and it was the happiest object in the whole store. Sehun was always surprised to still find it in the store. Then again, not everyone could feel what he felt.

Minseok had hired him after Sehun had informed him his shop was haunted. It wasn’t a particularly malignant spirit, but it still messed with Minseok, moving his stuff around and changing the price tags on things. Sehun just followed the rules his grandfather had laid out for him and got the spirit to leave. Minseok needed an extra pair of hands, and bringing in more haunted objects was more trouble than it was worth, so Sehun had a steady paying job being retail assistant and manager of spirits.

That letter opener had been serious bad news. Whatever was holding onto it was not just angry, but pissed the fuck off, and nothing good was going to come out of having that in the shop, let alone selling it to some unsuspecting schmuck who couldn’t see or sense the energy coming off it.

Traffic was slow that day because of the rain. Most of the tourists were hiding inside, or rushing past too quickly to notice them. Sehun didn’t really mind the slow day. It gave him time to make sure the books were still intact enough to sell. He was particular about the books because they were the ones that spoke to him the most. They fed him the memories of past owners in a way that was easier to handle than some of the other items in the store. Sehun flat out refused to touch some of the fur coats that Minseok had picked up.

By the time they closed the store, Sehun had checked all of the books for mildew and other damage and had reorganized them by color rather than author. Minseok was counting out the money in the cash register when Sehun, dressed in his jacket and boots again, stopped in front of him.

“I’m heading out. See you tomorrow.” Sehun said.

“Don’t you mean later tonight?” Minseok asked, fixing his glasses. “Junmyeon wanted to have family dinner tonight, remember?”

“Shit, I forgot all about that.” Sehun was sure it was on his calendar; Baekhyun had filled in just about everything, including when Sehun was supposed to remember to water his cactus. He pulled his phone out to tap out a quick text to Jongin to remind him about the dinner. “What time does he want us there?”

“I think around seven, that’s when Yixing should be home from work.”

“All right.” That gave him enough time to go home and change into fresh clothes and meet up with Jongin before they went over. “I’ll see you there.”

“Drive safely!” Minseok called after him. Sehun clomped down the back stairs, popping into the coffee shop’s kitchen briefly. Jongdae was standing there with one hand on his hip, looking angrily into a bowl of some kind of batter.

“Dae? You okay?” Sehun asked, peering at him curiously.

“Something’s not right with this mix but I can’t figure out what’s wrong.” Jongdae grumbled, giving it another stir. “It should be darker than this, and thicker.”

“What is it supposed to be?”

“Molasses cookies. Luhan brought me the recipe and I saw the picture of what they’re supposed to look like.”

“Maybe add more molasses? That might thicken it up.”

“Yeah, I’ll try that.” Jongdae sighed, pushing his hair out of his eyes. “I wanted to bring these to family dinner tonight.”

“You’ve got plenty of time, don’t worry about it. I’ll see you and Lu there.” Sehun scurried out to his car and dove in before he could get completely soaked. He turned on the engine to let the car warm up, checking his phone to see Jongin’s reply.

 _I’ll meet you at your place and we can go over together?_ Jongin had typed.

 _Sounds good. Try not to wear anything too low, Junmyeon might have a fit again_. Sehun was sure that he had left a bunch of hickeys on Jongin’s chest, and the last thing he wanted was Junmyeon to have another stroke because Sehun was getting laid. All Jongin replied with was the thumbs up emoji. Sehun drove home slowly in the rainy traffic, windshield wipers working overtime to keep his field of view clear. For a heart stopping moment he felt the car hydroplane before his tires found solid ground again. He really hoped Junmyeon wasn’t hoping for everyone to show up at exactly seven. If the rain kept up, they’d all have to paddle there.

He took off his boots by the front door and stripped off his damp sweater, leaving it to dry over the back of a kitchen chair. Dressed only in his white t-shirt and the shredded skinny jeans, he curled up on the couch to watch TV for a while. He channel flipped until he found a news channel, pausing to see what the weather forecast was like. He hated watching the news. It was always bad news and he dealt with enough of that with his sensitivity. His grandfather had called it the Sight, his father the Gift, and Junmyeon called it being Force Sensitive. Personally, Sehun liked the last name the best.

According to the forecast, the ocean storm wasn’t going to clear up any time soon. Sehun reminded himself to check the windows and make sure they weren’t letting in any rain again.

Half an hour later, Jongin arrived, letting himself in with the spare key. “Hunnie?” He called before his eyes fell on Sehun, half wrapped in the afghan he kept on the back of the couch. “Hey, share.” Sehun scooted forward to let Jongin clamber in behind him, pulling the afghan up to cover them both. Jongin rested his chin on Sehun’s shoulder, watching the radar display of the storm rolling in. “Mm, we should find the candles in case there’s a black out.”

“Top drawer, right side, in the kitchen.” Sehun rattled off. “Baekhyun reorganized me so the candles would be easier to find.”

“That guy is so anal-retentive.” Jongin muttered. “How does Chanyeol live with him?”

“Apparently he organized all of Chanyeol’s paints by color family so they’re easier to match up. I think he appreciates it.” Sehun snuggled back into Jongin’s arms, enjoying the warmth of his body as he moved on from the news. They’d switched from the weather to some horrible story and he didn’t want to hear it. So instead he and Jongin watched two episodes of something on the Animal Planet channel before Jongin checked the time and got Sehun to get dressed. Sehun combed his hair and found his favorite lilac colored cardigan. It was big and cozy and he had to roll up the sleeves to let him use his hands, but he couldn’t think of anything he’d rather to go to family dinner in. Jongin looked like he was asleep on the couch when Sehun came back out, but he sat up as soon as he heard footsteps.

“You look cute.” Jongin said, smiling and holding his arms out for Sehun. The taller man buried his face into Sehun’s belly, rubbing his cheek against the soft material of his shirt. Sehun bent and kissed the top of his head.

“Come on, we should start heading over before the rain gets any worse.” Sehun murmured, combing his fingers through Jongin’s hair. Jongin made a sound somewhere near a purr and buried his face in deeper.

“Do we have to?”

“Yes. You know Junmyeon takes family dinner very seriously.”

“Fine.” Jongin sighed, standing up. “Let’s go.” He grabbed his jacket from the hook by the door and waited as Sehun locked up behind him. The drive was just as rainy and wet as Sehun had expected and he drove way under the speed limit to make sure they didn’t spin out.

They weren’t the last to arrive to family dinner, but they definitely got one of the shittier parking spots. The two of them sprinted up the slippery driveway to the front door, nearly barreling into Kris when he opened the door.

“Come inside, you’re going to get drenched.” He said, stepping aside so they could come inside. Both of them stripped off their jackets and muddy shoes, leaving them along with the pile that had formed by the front door. “Did you guys drive over okay?”

“Hunnie drove like twenty five miles below the speed limit, don’t worry Kris.” Jongin said, even as he wrapped an arm around Sehun’s waist affectionately.

“As he should.” Junmyeon appeared from the kitchen, his favorite plaid apron tied over his black sweater and jeans. “I worry about you two.”

“What, just because we’re the youngest? We’re fine, _Mom_.” Sehun still gave him a hug. “Is Yixing home yet?”

“He’s upstairs taking a shower.” Kris answered. “Dae and Luhan are here with some dank ass molasses cookies, Minseok just called to say he was coming over, and Chanyeol and Baekhyun are upstairs hanging a portrait for us.”

“Tao and Kyungsoo aren’t coming?” Jongin asked.

“Tao’s got that wushu competition, remember? And Kyungsoo had some important work thing he had to finish tonight.” Junmyeon sniffed the air and disappeared into the kitchen just as Jongdae yelled “Something’s burning!”

“Come on, get comfortable.” Kris shooed them into the living room, where the plate of molasses cookies was sitting on the coffee table, and Luhan was stretched out on the floor watching Jongdae make a house of cards.

“Hey, Jongin!” Jongdae said, adding another layer to his card house. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“I’ve been busy. Lots of stuff that needs composing.” Jongin sat down on the couch, pulling Sehun onto his lap as he did. “So, I heard these cookies were dank?”

“Yeah, they turned out pretty well. Try one.” Jongdae swore loudly when the card house collapsed when Jongin grabbed a cookie. “I take it back, keep your hands over there.”

“That’s fine, this is where the sweets are.” He squeezed Sehun’s waist with his free hand.

“Gross.” Luhan muttered from the floor. Chanyeol and Baekhyun came down from the upper floor, returning the hammer to Kris before joining the crowd in the living room. Minseok arrived, rain speckling his glasses, and curled up on the floor next to Luhan. Yixing appeared, freshly showered and dressed in jeans and a sweater that had to be Kris’s, just based on how huge it was on him.

“Hey mom, when’s dinner?” Jongin bellowed, nearly deafening Sehun in one ear.

“It’s going to be done when it’s done!” Junmyeon yelled back. Then they heard a muffled squeak and Kris’s rumble of a laugh.

“The three of you better not be fucking in there!” Jongdae scolded. Yixing poked his head out of the kitchen, a grin crossing his face.

“No one’s fucking.” The look on his face said that he probably had been playing grab ass with his boyfriends.

“Y’all are a mess.” Luhan muttered, even as Minseok took his glasses off and settled his head down on Luhan’s chest.

Ten minutes later, Junmyeon called them in to dinner. The dining room table had been jimmied together by Kris and Chanyeol. Most dining tables didn’t need to be able to fit twelve people comfortably, but with Junmyeon’s family dinners and the kind of Thanksgivings the three of them had at their place, it was a necessity.

“Mm, smells amazing.” Sehun said, inhaling the smell of the stew and warm biscuits that Junmyeon, Kris, and Yixing were setting out on the table.

“When does it not?” Junmyeon grinned, his cheeks puffing up and making him look like more of a bunny than usual. He took his place at the head of the table, Kris to his left and Yixing to his right. Sehun was sure if he looked under the table, he would see their feet all tangled together, a silent reminder to themselves that they were all there together. Sehun would have made fun of them for it if he didn’t have his knee hooked around Jongin’s, and if he didn’t know Baekhyun and Chanyeol were holding hands under the table, and if Luhan hadn’t dropped a kiss into Minseok’s hair.

Dinner was as warm and raucous as it always was. Sehun nearly snorted stew out his nose when Yixing got up to demonstrate the way one of his students had been doing a plie during class that day. He’d gotten stuck with one of the toddler ballet classes this season and he was not enjoying it as much as he loved his intermediate students. Mostly because his intermediate students didn’t shit themselves on the way down in a plie.

“So what did you guys do today?” Junmyeon asked Minseok and Sehun when it was their turn to talk about their day. Minseok blinked his huge eyes at Sehun and turned to answer.

“I went to an estate sale early this morning, picked up some new inventory. We had a slow day. Sehun spent most of it fingering the books.” Minseok said smoothly.

“I do not finger them!” Sehun squawked indignantly. “I just check them and make sure they don’t rot from you keeping the windows open in the rain.”

“It’s okay to finger the books, gives you good practice.” Jongin grinned wickedly. Sehun flushed red and hid his face in his sweater. Thankfully, the conversation moved down to Jongdae and Luhan and their coffee shop.

Minseok and Sehun had agreed to keep the other half of Sehun’s job a secret. Junmyeon knew, of course, because he’d been the one to introduce Sehun to Minseok. But Kris and Yixing, and Luhan, and even Jongin, didn’t know about his sensitivity. It was something he didn’t like to share, if only because it made him look absolutely crazy.

After dinner, Chanyeol and Baekhyun did the dishes while Luhan and Minseok made a pot of coffee and put the kettle on for tea. Jongin and Sehun piled a mishmash of mugs, sugar, cream, and tea bags onto the worn out serving cart that Kris had found at some garage sale and wheeled it out into the living room.

Yixing was spread out on top of Kris and Junmyeon, sitting on Kris but with his legs curled in Junmyeon’s lap. Kris and Junmyeon had their ankles hooked around each other. Sehun had never thought relationships with three people in them could work, until he met them. The love they all had for each other was extraordinary.

There was so much love just in this house that it made Sehun a little emotional. Junmyeon had collected them all together slowly, fitting them into place as his family. So many of them had fallen in love it was almost ridiculous. Sehun still thanked him for the day he’d brought Jongin into his life.

When the hot water and the coffee appeared on the serving cart, Jongin got up and brought back two chipped mugs full of hot water, each with a teabag. The one that smelled like anise was for Sehun; the mint was for Jongin. Sehun could never understand how Jongin remembered exactly how he liked his coffee or his tea, how much sugar he put in each. But he loved it.

Baekhyun came out, drying his hands on a dishtowel, and poured himself a cup of tea before sitting down crosslegged in front of Kai and Sehun. Chanyeol took his seat next to him, munching on a molasses cookie. “I swear, I’m going to tear my hair out over that godforsaken thing.”

“What godforsaken thing? Is Chanyeol wearing those ugly pants again?” Luhan asked.

“They are not ugly, they’re just not Baekhyun’s style.” Chanyeol shot back. “And no, its not my pants.”

“It’s this violin someone brought in to have fixed. Every time I think I’ve got it finished, something else breaks! The strings just snap for no reason when I’m not even touching it.” Baekhyun huffed into his tea. “I’m about ready to tell the owner I can’t fix it.”

“Why don’t you give it to Minseok? I’m sure he knows someone who’s used to antique instruments.” Junmyeon said smoothly. Sehun could feel Minseok’s eyes on him, and knew what Junmyeon meant perfectly.

“Yeah, I have a friend I’m going to see this weekend that might be able to take care of it.” Minseok said. Sehun made a mental note to find that pair of protective glasses he’d had to hide from Baekhyun during his great apartment reorganize. He didn’t want anything wood exploding in his face, if that violin actually was haunted.

They were all hanging out in the living room until midnight, drinking tea and enjoying each other’s company. The entire plate of molasses cookies disappeared over the course of the night. Jongdae decided to add them to the menu at the coffee shop.

It wasn’t until Yixing started to fall asleep sitting up that Junmyeon declared the evening over. Kris carefully carried the dozing dancer upstairs while Junmyeon stuffed packaged leftovers into everyone’s hands and urged them to drive home safely. The rain had let up, but the roads were still slick.

“Mm, I’m so fat and happy.” Jongin said, snuggling into Sehun’s passenger seat.

“Me too. I love family dinners.” Especially because Junmyeon’s leftovers meant he didn’t have to cook dinner the next day.

“You have work at the usual time tomorrow?”

“Yeah, Minseok just needed to get some inventory this morning.”

“Damn.” Jongin leaned his head back. “No time for anything fun.”

“Like the lateness of the hour has ever stopped you, Jongin.”

“I’m not always trying to jump your bones while you sleep.”

“No, just often enough that I wake up as soon as you start thinking about touching me.” Sehun thanked God that his sensitivity didn’t extend to people. He would have hated to be inside Jongin’s head every time he touched him, even if it would have answered some of his questions about him.

“You just drive me crazy, Sehun.” The dark tone his voice had taken on made Sehun shiver. He glanced over at the clock on the dashboard. They had time for one round, if Jongin didn’t spend an eternity teasing.

“Do you want to top, or should I?” Sehun asked. He felt Jongin smile next to him.

“You top. I want to watch you.” Sehun knew he’d be yawning at work the next day, but it would be worth it.

\--

Baekhyun dropped the violin off at the store the next day, telling Minseok to bill him for however much it cost his “friend” to fix it. Minseok agreed and practically kicked Baekhyun out the door. Sehun approached slowly and paused about five feet away, hands out in front of him.

“Whoa. That’s…that’s something.” Sehun pressed closer, eyes widening at the force coming off it. “Holy shit, no wonder Baekhyun’s been having trouble with it.”

“Is it a wash?” Minseok asked, setting the case down gently.

“No, it’s not angry, it’s just strong. And I don’t think it likes Baekhyun.”

Minseok barked out a laugh. “Would you, if you were a spirit?”

“Probably not. We’re going to have to call Junmyeon, I can’t clear this out here.”

“I think he’s got the day off. Hopefully Kris and Yixing are out.” Minseok reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, dialing his number. “Hey, Junmyeonnie? Are you at home?”

“Yeah, why?” Sehun heard him answer.

“Sehun and I got the violin from Baekhyun. It needs to be cleared out, but Sehun says he can’t do it here.”

“That strong? Shit. Kris and Yixing are at work, you can send him over.”

“Okay. He’ll be there soon.” Minseok hung up and turned to Sehun. “Do you want me to go with you? I can close the shop.”

“No, keep it open. I can handle this on my own I think.” That was a lie, but he didn’t want Minseok to have to close the shop and miss out on income. Not that between the coffee shop and the antique store he and Luhan weren’t doing well, but Sehun still worried about them.

It was hard to drive with the violin in the car, even though he’d stuffed it into his trunk. The waves rolling off it made it hard to breathe. Thankfully Junmyeon didn’t live too far from the shop and he was waiting outside in a pair of pajama pants printed with cats and a black hoodie that Sehun recognized as Yixing’s.

“I cleared out the storage shed as best I could and put the chair cushions up against the walls,” he said as Sehun came towards him.

“Thanks Junmyeonnie. You should stay inside while I do this.” Sehun gestured gingerly at the violin.

“Are you out of your mind? I’m not letting you do this alone.” Junmyeon put his hands on his hips and gave Sehun his best mom look. Sehun felt himself wilt a little under it. “That’s what I thought. Now come on, Yixing will be home at four today and I’d rather not explain to him what we’re doing.”

So Sehun put the violin and its case in the middle of the storage shed and opened his duffel bag on the other side of the table he and Junmyeon were using as a barrier. He kept the bag in a compartment in his trunk, just in case of emergencies. Junmyeon peered curiously into it as Sehun started pulling things out.

“Sea salt, sage, vinegar, are we working on a spirit or making salad dressing?”

“Shut up.” Sehun threw an amulet at him. “Since you insist on being with me during this, put it on.”

“What is it?” Junmyeon held it up to the light, examining it.

“Amber with astralagus root. It’s a protection amulet.” Just for an added kick, Sehun pulled out the dried basil leaves and added it to the mix in his little bowl.

“Don’t you need it?”

“I wear one.” Sehun pulled up his shirt sleeve to show Junmyeon the small amber bead tied around his wrist. “That’s for my idiot assistants.”

“I resent that. I just want to make sure you’re okay.” Junmyeon stayed crouched behind the table while Sehun lit the dried herbs and vinegar on fire and pushed it towards the case. He scurried back behind the table just as the mixture started to smoke.

“Down.” Sehun pushed Junmyeon flat onto the floor, ignoring his squawking. The effect was almost instant. A loud boom rattled the windows and a sound like nails on a chalkboard filled the room. Still holding Junmyeon down, Sehun poked his head up above the edge of the table. The bowl was smoking more profusely now, and something was leaking out of the violin case.

“Can I get up now?” Junmyeon’s voice sounded garbled with his nose pressed into the concrete floor like that.

“Hold the salt.” Sehun released him and Junmyeon’s head bounced up, clutching the bottle of sea salt for dear life.

“Is it doing something?” Junmyeon asked, staying below the table just in case something exploded.  He didn’t want to explain to Kris or Yixing how he’d gotten hurt.

“It’s doing something.” Sehun watched as the white smoke spilled out of the case, slowly coagulating in the air. White smoke was a good sign. The paperweight had oozed black sludge and then thrown itself at Sehun’s head.

“Who are you?” A voice boomed as the smoke finally made a vaguely human shape in the air. “How did you call me out of the violin?”

“I could sense you in there. You’re making a lot of trouble for someone who’s trying to repair the violin.” Sehun stood up, kicking Junmyeon gently in the shin when he tried to get up too. “My name is Sehun. Who are you?”

The spirit sniffed, and if his nose had been better formed, Sehun was sure it would have been turned up. “What kind of name is Sehun?”

Sehun seriously considered just smoking out the violin until the spirit left, but his grandfather had always told him that’s how vengeful spirits were made. So he held his tongue, and his firepower, and replied calmly, “It’s Korean. Was this your violin?”

“It _is_ my violin. And that idiot kept tinkering around with it, tuning it wrong.”

“Baekhyun is trying to repair the violin. Something happened to it while you were inside and it needs fixing.”

“But he’s fixing it all wrong! It’s not the neck that’s the problem, its inside the violin.”

“So you kept snapping the strings to make him stop?”

The spirit heaved an exasperated sigh. “Look, it’s my violin. I want to spend my afterlife happily inside it without some idiot messing about with it and ruining it.”

“Someone else owns the violin now, and they want it repaired. You’re infringing on their right to play the violin, and make music with it.” That seemed to strike something in the spirit, so Sehun kept pushing. “Don’t you want someone to be able to make music with it? Use the violin for what it was intended for?”

The spirit’s mouth furrowed into a hazy line. “I suppose.”

“Then will you let Baekhyun fix the violin? I’ll tell him what’s wrong, and he’ll repair it properly and someone can use it to play again.”

“Fine. But he better not put those stupid strings on again. They aren’t the right kind for this violin.” Sehun waited as he explained in detail what kind of strings it needed and then blew out the bowl of smoking herbs, allowing the spirit to return to the violin. It felt calmer in his hands now, like the spirit was less pissed off, and a little weaker.

“Wow.” Junmyeon said, poking his head over the table. “That was incredible.”

“What did you see?”

“I saw you talking to some smoke and then the air totally changed.” Junmyeon stood up, stretching his aching legs. “You really have a gift, Sehun.”

“A gift that’s exhausting.” He patted the violin case gently. “At least Baekhyun will be able to get this fixed now.”

“Will you help me clear this up? It’ll be faster with the two of us.”

“Yeah, just let me put this in my car.” He left the violin locked in the trunk with his duffel bag and then helped Junmyeon put the storage shed back together. The whole place still smelled like burned herbs, which made Sehun hope no one needed to get in there before the smoke cleared out. Once everything was put back together and Junmyeon had forced a slice of lemon cake and a cup of tea down Sehun’s throat, Sehun headed back to work.

Minseok seemed surprised to see him back, eyes widening behind his glasses. “That was faster than I thought it would be.”

“This spirit didn’t throw things at me, just argued with me a little.” Sehun felt the violin pulse. “I’m sorry, but you were arguing with me.”

“I hate when you talk to things like that.” Minseok muttered. “So Baekhyun can have it back?”

“Yeah, we’ll just tell him that your friend thinks there’s a problem with the body, and that it needs different strings.”

Minseok leaned on his elbows and stared deeply at his younger friend. “Sehun, go home.” He looked like he was swaying on his feet, dark circles under his eyes.

“I’m fine, Min. Junmyeon already fed me and gave me some tea.”

“You look terrible. Go home. I can baby sit the violin and the shop.” He locked the violin safely under the counter. “Better yet, go downstairs and get something from Luhan and Jongdae and then go home.”

“Fine, I’ll go.” Sehun shrugged his jacket back on and blew a tired kiss to Minseok, who caught it and held it to his chest, pretending to swoon.

Jongdae took one look at Sehun’s face before steering him over to a table and putting a cup of tea and a couple molasses cookies in front of him. “What’s wrong? Are you getting sick?”

“I think so.” The lie didn’t taste so bad with a molasses cookie in his mouth.

“Were you trying some kind of herbal remedy? You smell funny.” Jongdae wrinkled up his nose.

“Some incense came in with some inventory this morning.” Sehun hoped Junmyeon could air out his storage unit quickly.

“What’s wrong with Hunnie?” Luhan asked, coming out from behind the counter.

“I think he’s getting sick.” Jongdae supplied.

“Minseok better have sent you home and not just down here for a break.” Luhan pursed his lips, staring up at the ceiling like he could see his boyfriend through the layers of wood and plaster.

“He told me to come and get something from you and then go home.” Sehun said, resting his forehead on the cool table. God, these spirits could take a lot out of him.

“Here, let me box this up. Are you sure you can drive home?”

“I’ll be fine, Lu. Just give me a second.” He took a few more sips of tea and ate the other cookie and felt a little stronger. His friends still stared at him like he might go off at any minute when he left. He didn’t really mind. It was a sign that they cared for him.

When Sehun dragged his tired body through the front door of his apartment, he was only mildly surprised to see Jongin sitting on his couch, headphones firmly over his ears as he worked on something on his computer. Sehun dropped his jacket on a kitchen chair and wandered over, toeing off his sneakers as he went. By the time he had folded his tired body onto the couch next to him, Jongin had taken his headphones off and set aside his laptop.

“You’re home early. Everything okay?” He asked, lifting Sehun’s head onto his lap.

“Minseok thinks I’m getting sick so he sent me home early.” Sehun mumbled.

“Worrywort.” Jongin still pressed the back of his hand against Sehun’s high forehead, feeling for a fever. “You’re a little warm, but I think you’re okay.”

“Thanks, Dr. Kim.”

“If you’re feeling well enough to want to play doctor, Minseok is definitely a little too worried about you.”

“Oh fuck off.” Sehun muttered feebly. “Why are you here?”

“Couldn’t get any work done at home. I figured I’d come work here, change of scenery.” He sniffed. “Why do you smell like a hippie’s armpit?”

“Incense at the store.” Sehun heaved himself up. “I’m going to take a bath. Keep working.” Sehun toddled off to his bathroom, turning on the tap and letting it fill. Jongin had asked him once why he kept so many herbs in his bathroom. Sehun had lied and said his mom had been into herbal stuff while he was growing up and it had stuck with him.

As Sehun sprinkled almond oil and Epsom salt into his bath, he wondered what life would be like if he was just honest with his boyfriend. But what would he say? “Hey babe, guess what, I can talk to the dead?” “I can sense the life forces of people who have died in objects they owned?” How could he not sound absolutely insane? Especially since there was no way to prove that there was anything there. All Junmyeon had seen that afternoon was Sehun talking to a cloud of smoke. It helped that Junmyeon was a little sensitive himself and could feel the presence of the spirit, even if he couldn’t see them or speak to them.

No, it was best to keep that part of his life separate from Jongin, he decided as he soaked in the tub, the sweet almond scented steam curling up his nose. He would do anything to keep Jongin with him. Even lie to him. Even put up with Jongin lying to him.

In the year that they’d been together, Sehun had never been to Jongin’s place, had never even seen the outside of it. Jongin always picked him up at his apartment and spent most nights here, but he kept his home very separate from Sehun and the others. He never gave any excuse other than that it wasn’t as nice as Sehun’s place and he liked it better at the apartment. But Sehun knew that Jongin made good money as a composer and he had enough to afford a decent place. Sometimes Sehun half wondered if Jongin was hiding a wife and kids from him, but Junmyeon would have known. Junmyeon seemed to know everything.

Sehun sat in the bathtub until the water turned cold around him. He pulled the drain and stood up, rubbing the remnants of oil into his skin until he was soft and sweetly scented. Then he toweled himself off and tucked a sprig of angelica into the pocket of the sweatpants he pulled on.

Jongin had changed positions slightly on the couch, eyebrows furrowed as he fiddled with one of the controls on his composing program. He smelled Sehun before he heard his footsteps and turned, lifting the laptop onto the coffee table so Sehun could curl up in his lap.

“You smell good enough to eat.” Jongin said, holding Sehun close to his body. “Like Jongdae’s cookies.”

“I aim to smell edible and not like a hippie’s arm pit.” Sehun mumbled into Jongin’s chest. He was wearing one of the fluffy sweaters that Junmyeon had given out for birthdays last year. Sehun still didn’t know how he’d found twelve different colors in the same sweater.

“Yeah that wasn’t sexy at all. This though…” Jongin dipped his head down to dig his nose into Sehun’s neck, “this is great.” His hands wandered down Sehun’s back and suddenly he was gripping both of Sehun’s cheeks in his hands, kneading them softly.

“Some nurse you are.”

“I thought I was playing the doctor? And I think it’s time for an injection.”

Sehun laughed so hard he almost fell off Jongin’s lap, but managed to contain himself enough to stay seated. “Darling, I don’t need an injection. I need a _dick_.”

“Come on, I thought we were roleplaying.” Jongin pouted, full lower lip jutting out even as he lifted Sehun up. Sehun clung to his chest like an oversized koala and let Jongin carry him over to his bed. It was weird to be doing this during the middle of a weekday, but he’d done his civic duty for the day. He deserved to get laid.

Thankfully, it seemed like Jongin wasn’t in the mood to spend an absolute eternity teasing Sehun to the brink and instead cut right to the chase.

“Cold!” Sehun yelped as two fingers covered in lube breached him.

“Sorry baby, sorry.” Jongin leaned down to kiss him, distracting him enough to get his fingers all the way in. They’d been having sex long enough and often enough that Jongin could work him open quickly, a fact that Sehun was eternally grateful for. It had been a nightmare when he’d first started having sex and opening up took forever.

It started to thunder again as Jongin pushed into him, wrapping Sehun’s legs around his waist. A crack of lightning lit Jongin’s face for just a moment and Sehun had to blink the after images of that pornographic moan away before he blew it right then and there.

It was a slow, easy ride, more gentle than Jongin usually fucked him. He probably was also under the impression that Sehun was coming down with something. They’d kept up the comfortable, rocking pace for a while and then Jongin braced himself up on his hands, letting his hips roll harder and deeper. Sehun squeaked when the motion hit his prostate dead on.

“Got it.” Jongin kissed Sehun’s open, moaning mouth and kept hammering into him. Sehun’s vision whited out within a few minutes and he came all over his stomach. Jongin followed not far behind, barely pausing to catch his breath before wetting a washcloth with warm water and cleaning them both up.

Sehun was surprised when he pulled his boxers and jeans back on instead of getting back into bed with him. “Where are you going?”

“Home, for a bit. I’ll be back later.” He leaned down and kissed him briefly.

“It’s storming really badly, Jongin, you should stay here.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll text you when I get home, okay?”

“Okay.” Sehun slipped his hand into the pocket of his sweatpants and stuck the angelica sprig in Jongin’s back pocket, distracting him with another kiss. It made him feel a little better about letting him drive out in the storm, but not much.

Junmyeon called right as Sehun was starting to doze off in the mess of his bed.

“Yes, Mom?” Sehun groaned into the phone.

“I just wanted to check on you.” Junmyeon huffed. “God, you’d think I was jamming myself up your ass.”

“No, that’s Jongin’s job.”

“Okay, not a comment I needed to hear. How are you feeling?”

“Minseok sent me home from work when I got back. Apparently I look like I’m coming down with something.”

“A little bit, yeah. So you’re home now?”

“Yeah. Jongin just left.”

“You mean he’s driving in this weather?” Junmyeon swore under his breath. “I’m going to have to talk to him about safe driving habits.”

“You do that, Suho.” The nickname was colored with affection, but he could practically see Junmyeon blush through the phone.

“I don’t mean to be such a guardian, you all just need me to be.”

“And you love us for it. Now let me take a nap. I actually am tired.”

“Tired from bodyslamming me onto the floor? I have a bruise, you know.”

“That could have been avoided if you had just listened to me and stayed in the house. Tell Kris and Yixing we got kinky while they were at work.” Sehun hung up before Junmyeon could start yelling at him. He stayed awake just long enough to get Jongin’s text that he had arrived safely at home before he fell asleep.

When Sehun woke up, the sky had darkened even further. He curled up closer to his pillow, looking out the window at the storm raging outside. The rainy season was definitely here. He didn’t mind it, really. He liked the gray light and the way it made everything feel infinitely warmer and cuddlier.

He stayed curled up in his bed until he heard someone singing quietly in his living room. Jongin must have come back. He found a sweatshirt he’d lifted from Jongdae and pulled it on over his sweatpants before padding out to the living room.

Jongin was in the kitchen, stirring something in a pot. Based on the smell, it was Junmyeon’s leftovers. He was singing softly to the radio. Sehun smiled when he recognized the song.

“When did you come back?” Sehun asked as he wrapped his arms around Jongin’s waist, pressing his face against his back.

Jongin took a break from singing along to “Glycerine” to answer. “About half an hour ago. I saw you sleeping and decided to fix your dinner for you.”

“You’re the best boyfriend.” Sehun kissed his cheek quickly and stepped away. “Did you already eat?”

“No, I dumped my leftovers in with yours to heat it up. Did you actually think I took them out of the fridge this morning and took them home?” Jongin laughed, moving to turn up the radio.

“I didn’t look in the fridge, so I didn’t know.” Sehun shrugged, sitting at his kitchen table and watching Jongin dance along to 90s grunge and fix his dinner. He wouldn’t let Sehun get up to do anything, claiming that he wasn’t sure that Sehun wasn’t actually getting sick.

It wasn’t until they’d finished eating that Jongin pulled the angelica sprig out of his pocket and held it up to Sehun’s face. “Why are you seasoning me?”

Sehun flushed horribly red, his silver hair making it even more obvious. “I’m not seasoning you.” He muttered from behind his fingers.

“I know you put this in here. What is this, anyway?” Jongin smelled it again, the woody, peppery scent of it practically punching him in the nostrils.

“It’s angelica.”

“Is this another one of those herbal things?”

“Yes. It’s for protection.” Sehun wanted to climb inside the sweatshirt and disappear forever.

“Why do you think I need protecting?”

“You were driving out in the storm.”

“But you didn’t have time to slip that in, unless…” Jongin trailed off, cocking his head to one side. “You had it on you already. Did you think you needed protection?”

“Protection for my health.” Sehun gestured at his tired face, hoping he still looked ill enough for Jongin to buy it.

“Then why don’t you keep it? I think you need it a little more than I do.” Jongin reached across the table and tucked the sprig behind his ear. “There. My little wood sprite.” Sehun hid his face in his hands again.

After dinner, Jongin made him tea with honey and made him wrap the afghan around himself while they watched a movie. They had sex again, lazily and this time with Jongin bottoming, before Jongin insisted they go to sleep early to let Sehun get his rest. If Sehun didn’t like the coddling just a little, he would have screamed. But it was nice to have his boyfriend taking such care of him.

Sehun lay flat on his back, Jongin’s head on his chest, and listened to the crash of the thunder overhead. Tomorrow he’d go back to work and everything would be fine, provided no one had anything that needed to be de-spirited. It would still be raining, and Sehun would still be helplessly in love with someone he couldn’t be honest with, and who was hiding something from him.

\--

Sehun heard the phone ringing from the front of the store where he was dusting some of the china. He paused, feather duster poised over a delicate tea set, to see if Minseok would pick it up.

“Kim’s Fine Antiques, how may I help you?” Minseok asked in his customer voice. It melted away quickly when the person answered. “Hey Junmyeon, what’s up?”

Sehun furrowed his eyebrows as he kept dusting. Junmyeon never called the store when he wanted to talk to them. Then again, his cell phone was in the back room and Minseok was constantly leaving his at home. It was the bane of Luhan’s existence. Sehun tuned out the conversation, focusing on not knocking over any of the inventory. Minseok was going to come up and tell him what the call was about anyway.

“Hey, Tao won his wushu competition.” Minseok said, poking his head around the corner to look at Sehun.

“That’s great!” Sehun felt a swell of pride for his friend. Tao had been doing so well at his competitions recently.

“Yeah, Junmyeon’s over the moon. He’s throwing a dinner tonight for him. We’re expected to arrive by seven, as usual.”

“I’ll text Jongin.” He set the duster on the top of the cabinet and wove his way back through the store to get to his bag. He’d barely typed it and sent it when Jongin replied.

 _Yeah, Junnie just called me too. I feel like I should get cigars for Kris._ Sehun couldn’t help but snort. Junmyeon may have been everyone’s mom, but Tao was Kris’s baby, the one he protected the most ferociously. Not that he didn’t love all of their family, but Tao had a special place with him.

 _Do it._ Sehun typed back, then tucked his phone in his back pocket and went back to dusting. He took a break to have some tea downstairs with Jongdae when he started sneezing profusely. Jongdae gave him a sympathetic look over his mug of anise tea.

“I don’t know why you guys don’t dust that place more often. Luhan’s always complaining about how dusty Minseok’s clothes are when he comes home.” Jongdae blew on his tea gently before taking a sip.

“Because dusting takes hours and neither of us want to do it.” Sehun shrugged, reaching for one of the almond cookies Jongdae was testing out on him. He thought he heard a tooth crack under the bite. “Dae, what’s in this?”

“Chunks of almond. Should I have warned you?”

Sehun lifted his hand to his mouth and felt his tooth, whole and secure. “Yeah, probably. Make the chunks smaller in the next batch.”

Jongdae wrote it down on his little notepad that he kept. He was the kind of person who went around asking people about their baked goods while they ate at the café, asking what he could improve. His notepad rarely had anything written on it because no one could ever give him any criticism. But Sehun and his teeth definitely could. He dunked it in his tea before he took the next bite, carefully angling it so his front teeth weren’t in danger.

The rest of the work day was slow. Minseok and Luhan went home, leaving Sehun to lock up, and then Sehun returned to his empty apartment. Jongin was apparently in the middle of something and wasn’t stopping at Sehun’s place on his way over.

Sehun took the time to wash the dust out of his hair and get dressed in clean clothes. He didn’t feel like sitting around the empty apartment waiting to go over, so he grabbed his jacket and shoes and headed for the car.

He let himself into the house using the spare key under the mat. He didn’t think anyone would be home except Junmyeon, so he could at least help him with dinner or just annoy him while he cooked. But as he came into the house, he found Yixing on the living room floor, with his shirt off and electrodes stuck all over his lower back.

“Yixing?” Sehun asked, approaching cautiously. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, Sehun, I thought you were Kris coming home.” Yixing turned his head to look at Sehun. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“What’s with the electrodes?” Sehun sat on the couch near him, looking at the wires that ran into a small device that looked like a GameBoy. Yixing laughed, shifting the pillow underneath him.

“It’s TENS therapy. Kris found the kit on Amazon and ordered it. It’s supposed to help with my back pain with electrical stimulation.” He shrugged. “Mostly it just feels like tapping but it’s not hurting me so I figure I might as well use it.”

“Interesting.” Sehun wandered into the kitchen, where Junmyeon was busily chopping potatoes.

“You’re early.” Junmyeon said, not turning around as he threw the potatoes into the pot. They sizzled when they hit the bottom, the smell of olive oil and herbs filling the kitchen. Sehun felt himself salivate.

“I didn’t want to sit around at home. I figured I’d come bother you.” Sehun peeked into the pot and hummed in approval. “What’s for dinner?”

“These potatoes, Yixing’s vegetable medley, and a roast. How I managed to find one big enough to feed all of us is beyond me. It’s practically the whole cow.”

“Sounds good, but maybe I should taste one to make sure-ow!” Sehun cradled his hand against his chest, the sting of Junmyeon’s smack ringing up his arm. “Jesus, you’re worse than my mother.”

“Your mother didn’t have to clear the smell of burned herbs out of her storage unit before her partners came home.”

“She did, actually. Well, she cleared it out because my dad and I were usually too tired.” Junmyeon shot him a look and Sehun held up his hands. “Hey, you forget where I come from.”

“I never forget where any of you come from.” The softness in Junmyeon’s voice made Sehun’s heart hurt a little. He knew that some of his adoptive family didn’t come from the best backgrounds, or families that had accepted them for who they were. Sehun had been one of the lucky ones. His family had had the Sight for centuries and had been able to teach him to harness it, and they had accepted him when he’d come out. Some of his friends hadn’t been so lucky. It was part of the reason Junmyeon collected them together, to give them a family that would love them unconditionally.

The front door opened. “Junnie? Xingxing?” Kris called as he stamped his shoes on the doormat.

“In here sweetheart!” Sehun called back in a high pitched voice. Yixing laughed from the living room, even as Junmyeon let out a long-suffering sigh.

“I didn’t realize you were a part of this relationship too.” Kris said, putting Sehun in a headlock and giving him an affectionate noogie. With his superior size and strength, it was a doozy. He finally let go and let Sehun sway into the counter while he kissed Junmyeon hello. “Smells good, babe.”

“Ack!”

Everyone turned immediately towards the living room, scrambling to get through the door to see what was wrong with Yixing. He was still on the floor, now twitching and jerking. The GameBoy controller thing was just out of his reach.

“What happened?” Kris asked, grabbing the controller and handing it to Yixing, who promptly turned the dial all the way back.

“I was fiddling with the controls and I turned it up too high.” Yixing panted out, relaxing back into his pillow. “Those electrodes are no joke.”

“Huh. And I got it on Amazon.” Kris seemed rather impressed with himself, even as he petted Yixing’s hair back.

“Why don’t I sit out here with you while Kris and Junmyeon make dinner?” Sehun suggested, sitting on the floor up against the couch. Junmyeon shot him a grateful smile before he knelt to kiss Yixing’s head.

“Where’s Jongin?” Yixing asked, turning his head on the pillow so he could see Sehun.

“He was working on something and he won’t be here till later. I didn’t want to sit around for two hours so I decided to come early.” Sehun settled into easy conversation with Yixing. They were joined next by Baekhyun and Chanyeol, although Chanyeol still had to scrub the remnants of the day’s paint off his hands. When Minseok and Luhan arrived, Baekhyun thanked Minseok profusely for his “friend’s” advice.

“You would not believe how quickly I fixed the problem. I can’t believe I couldn’t tell that the problem was in the body. And the string change made a world of difference too. I guess it’s just a temperamental old thing that needs very specific strings or they snap.” Baekhyun continued gushing to Minseok, who merely smiled and nodded. Sehun hid his face in the pillow, trying not to laugh. The violin was definitely temperamental, and the spirit that lived in it was even more temperamental.

Jongdae brought the guest of honor, who had to endure everyone clapping for him and congratulating him. He couldn’t even sit down without everyone giving him a hug and a kiss first.

Kyungsoo arrived just before dinner was served, and Sehun checked his phone to see if Jongin had texted to say he was on his way over. Nothing yet. Junmyeon pursed his lips but still put dinner out. The three of them were spoiling Tao: they gave him the first cut of the roast, the best pick of the vegetables, and the potatoes. Sehun would have been jealous if he didn’t know how hard Tao worked on his wushu and how much this competition had meant to him. Jongdae was just trying to get him drunk off Kris’s nice Scotch and kept pouring more and more into his glass.

Half an hour through dinner, Jongin dropped into the empty seat next to Sehun, slightly out of breath and with a bruise blooming on his cheek.

“Jongin, what happened to your face?” Junmyeon got up and grabbed a glass full of ice, pressing it to Jongin’s cheek. Sehun shooed him away to hold it there himself. Jongin winced at the contact of the cold glass, but he smiled slightly at Sehun.

“I had an accident this morning. Bashed my face against my nightstand.” Jongin let his eyes flutter shut, turning his cheek so Sehun could get a better angle. Yixing fixed him a plate of food. Sehun was glad he was already done eating, because Jongin’s lie made his mouth taste like sawdust.

It was the one gift that he had that worked on living people. He could sense lies, at least when he knew the person well enough. He could always tell when Jongin was lying to him, and now was no different. Once again, Sehun’s mind turned towards Jongin’s mystery house, and what he was hiding from him.

But Tao’s celebration dinner wasn’t the time for that. Jongin ate quickly with Sehun by his side while the others started clearing the table and getting the dishes washed. Junmyeon took Tao out into the living room to relax and drink Scotch.

“I have some salve at home that will help with that.” Sehun said when Jongin started probing at his swelling cheek.

“More of your herbal stuff?”

“It works. But if you’d rather dismiss it, you can suffer with your cheek.” Sehun got up, grabbing his empty glass, and took it into the kitchen to shove into the dishwasher. He didn’t feel like helping get the tea together and instead took a seat next to Tao.

“How’re you doing, kungfu panda?” He asked, settling his head into the crook of Tao’s shoulder.

“I’m doing great.” Tao looked down at him with bleary eyes, the Scotch on his breath making Sehun’s eyes water. “How’re you, Hunnie?”

“I’m okay. Just a little tired.” As soon as the words left his lips, Junmyeon leaned across Tao and stared at him.

“If you’re tired, go home now, Sehun. I don’t want you driving when you’re tired.” Junmyeon glanced out the window where it had started to rain. “Especially not in this weather.”

“Suho, relax.” Kris hooked his arm around his boyfriend’s neck, pressing a kiss into the side of his head. “Sehun is an adult, he’ll be fine.”

“Thank you, Kris.” Sehun curled his legs up underneath him and relaxed into Tao’s side. Since he, Jongin, and Tao were all close in age, they’d always been close like this. But Jongin had never looked quite as put out to see Tao and Sehun snuggled up together. Sehun ignored him as he sat down on the floor, leaning up against his knees. From where he was sitting, Sehun could see the swell of Jongin’s bruised cheek. If it weren’t for Tao’s absentminded hand rubbing up and down his forearm, Sehun thought he might have screamed.

As it was, when Tao fell asleep and Kris took him up to sleep in the guest room, Sehun thought he might scream at Jongin when he followed him to his car.

“Hunnie, are you mad at me?” Jongin asked, his hand on the driver’s door keeping Sehun from climbing in.

He sighed, trying to untangle all the things he was mad about to get to the one thing he could actually talk about. “I hate when you discount things that my family has used for generations as just herbal shit. I wouldn’t offer it to you if I didn’t think it would work, and if I didn’t know it worked. But you constantly mock it as just herbal shit and it’s not, not to me.”

“I’m sorry.” He wrapped Sehun in a hug, not caring that both of them were starting to get damp. “I just…I get set in my ways I guess.”

“And I’m set in mine.” Sehun felt the questions rising on his tongue and swallowed hard, drowning them away. Now was not the time to demand his honesty. Now was the time to try to mend what could be mended, and wait for the right time to work through everything.

“Well, I’m willing to try the salve, if you’re still willing to waste it on my face.”

“Can’t have your pretty face swollen for too long. God knows I already have enough trouble fucking you face up.”

“Shit, Sehun.” Jongin laughed, squeezing him tighter. “You’re savage when you’re mad.”

“And this is new to you?” Sehun shook his head. “I’ll see you at home?”

“I’ll be right behind you, baby.”

Sehun clambered into his car and started the dark, wet drive home, his stomach churning with doubt and unanswered questions. This could not continue. He couldn’t live without knowing Jongin, without knowing what lay behind the hidden doors.

\--

Sehun fumbled with his key ring, searching for the one marked with a dollop of bright blue nail polish. By the time he’d found it, the door had already swung open, a smiling girl on the other side.

“Hunnie, it’s been a long time.” Amber wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him tightly. “Come in, come in, you must be freezing.” The rain had turned to sleet, then to hail, and Sehun was soaked through to his skin. Amber made him strip in the middle of the living room and gave him a pair of sweats and a big shirt to wear while she put his clothes in the dryer.

Something small wove around his legs and he reached down blindly, digging his fingers into soft gray fur. “Hey Bergie.” He murmured, rubbing the cat behind the ears. Amber’s familiar purred and lapped at Sehun’s fingers with his rough tongue. Around his neck hung a collar with an amber bead attached.

“Bergie missed you.” Amber said, coming back from turning on the dryer.

“I missed you both.” Sehun lifted the little cat into his lap, letting him start to groom his hand.

“This isn’t a social visit.” She sat across from him in an armchair. “Bergie never acts like this unless something’s wrong.”

“Something’s…not right.”

“Come on. We both feel better in the kitchen.” He followed her in, the familiar at their heels. He took his normal spot by the sink, nibbling at the edge of one of the plants Amber had along the windowsill. Amber and Sehun put the kettle on for tea, and then set about making their usual. Eggs, heavy cream, and a bit of mint for good energy and communication. It was a recipe Amber had taught him early on in their friendship.

It didn’t quite go with the cherry and anise tea that Amber served alongside it, but with all the good herbs swirling around him and the familiar feelings sinking into his bones, he couldn’t exactly complain.

“So, what brings you to my doorstep, Sehun?” Amber asked over her mug of tea. Bergamot had jumped off his perch and was sitting on her knee, ever an attentive familiar.

Sehun leaned forward on his elbows, head resting in his hands. “I didn’t need a witch for this. I just…I didn’t know who else to talk to.”

“Well I’m not just a witch, I’m your friend. God, Hunnie, how long have I known you?”

“Most of my life.”

“See, there’s no reason you couldn’t come to me. Come on, what’s bothering you? It must be something pretty big if you didn’t even go to Junmyeon.”

“Junmyeon has talked to me about this before, and it didn’t help.” Sehun sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “My boyfriend, Jongin, he’s hiding something from me.” He explained everything, from his mysterious house to the bruise on his face to his caginess about his past. Amber listened, and refilled Sehun’s mug. The tea was her own blend, designed to bring lighter spirits to the drinker. It helped a little, even as Sehun felt so completely miserable.

“You don’t even know his address?”

“Nope. Never seen the house, don’t know where it is. I know it can’t be too far from where I live, but that doesn’t narrow down much.”

“That’s pretty shady. There’s something in that house.”

“But what could it be, that he can’t tell me? For fuck’s sake, Amb, we’ve been dating for a year. He practically lives with me because he doesn’t ever want me near his house.”

“Have you considered that maybe he has a spouse?”

“I thought about it, but it can’t be. Jongin isn’t that kind of man.” But he was the kind of man to hide things from his partner.

“Mmm.” Amber scratched Bergamot’s head, considering the problem.

“I thought about it, you know. About using something on him to make him tell the truth.” He held up a hand to keep Amber from talking. “I know, it breaks every rule and would probably get me struck by lightning and be the ultimate dick move. But I thought about it. I was lying in bed next to him and he’d lied about how he’d gotten hurt and he had gone to sleep like it didn’t bother him and I thought about it. I thought about spiking his morning coffee and making him talk. But I couldn’t do it, not even with how much this hurts me.” He sniffled, wiping his eyes on the edge of the sweater. “I love him and he lies to me.”

“Hunnie, I’m so sorry.” Amber stood up and pulled Sehun into her arms, cradling him softly against her shoulder as he let the sobs wrack his body. “You’re going to find out. Things like this never stay behind doors for too long.”

Sehun cried himself out, got another helping of cherry and anise tea, and then got dressed in his fresh from the dryer clothes. He could smell the chamomile that Amber had tucked into his jacket and drew it a little tighter around his shoulders. He knew coming to her was the right idea, even if all she could do was let him talk and cry until he couldn’t anymore. He knew Jongin would probably be waiting for him at home, but he was too tired to think about forcing a conversation. Right now, all he wanted was to go to sleep, and worry another day.

\--

The opportunity to find out what lay behind those doors fell into Sehun’s lap, literally. He’d thrown away a bill accidentally and had dumped his recycling bag onto his lap to sort through the papers. As he was looking through, he found an envelope that belonged to Jongin, his address stamped underneath neatly. It was the first time Sehun had ever seen Jongin’s address. He didn’t even know how it had gotten mixed in with his trash, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Maybe Amber had done a good luck spell for him or something.

He texted Minseok that he was going to be late for work and grabbed his bag, heading for his car before he could stop to think about what he was really doing. Jongin wasn’t going to show him willingly, so Sehun had to make this choice. It was the only way to find out what he was hiding.

He had been right about Jongin not living far from him. Sehun’s apartment building was only a few miles from the coast, and Jongin lived right on the beach. It was a little cottage, worn gray by the salt and surf and rain. The windows were all dark, the garage door shut tight. Sehun sat in his car, windshield wipers still going so he could see out, and looked at the cottage.

It had probably been painted white at some point, as had the floorboards of the steps leading up to the porch. A few low-growing shrubs clung to the sandy earth in front of the house, practically drowning in the torrential rain. He was still in the car and he could sense the sadness that clung to the house. It was so strong it almost drowned him in it.

Sehun couldn’t stay in the car, couldn’t think in the enclosed space. His boots sank into the wet sand as he paced down the beach, trying to make up his mind. He could try to force his way inside, and risk being incapacitated by whatever was inside, or whoever was inside. Or he could walk away now, and never let Jongin know he’d been there. The rain was already filling in his footsteps.

He turned back towards the house, fully intending to get into the car and go to work, and found Jongin sitting on the hood of his car. He had an unreadable expression on his face as Sehun cautiously approached. This was not going to be fun.

“How did you find me?” Jongin asked softly when Sehun walked up.

“You threw an envelope away in my trash. I found it when I was looking for the light bill.” Sehun clutched the umbrella handle tighter in his numb fingers. He wanted nothing more than to get in his car and drive away, but with Jongin lounging on his hood like that, he had no choice but to stand there and take it.

“Don’t you think if I had wanted you here, I would have brought you?”

“I don’t know what you want, Jongin! For fuck’s sake, we’ve been together for a year and I didn’t find out where you lived until _today_. You practically live with me but I’ve never been let in to your space.” Sehun felt the tears starting to rise again. “I love you. What could be so bad in there that you can’t show me?”

Jongin was silent, impassive expression driving Sehun nuts. He slid off the hood with a screech, turned his back on Sehun, and walked away. “Go to work, Sehun.” He called over his shoulder.

Sehun felt his heart crumple like a tin can. He couldn’t go to work, he needed…he needed Luhan. Luhan would know what to do.

As soon as he showed up at the café, face tearstained and hands reaching out for Luhan, Lu threw the register keys to Jongdae and bundled Sehun into his car. Sehun kept crying, huge, wracking sobs that burned his throat and made snot stream out of his nose.

“Shh, it’s all right Hunnie, I’ve got you.” Luhan helped him out of the car and into the townhouse he shared with Minseok. He stripped the wet jacket off Sehun, leaving him shivering in his sweater and damp jeans. Luhan didn’t seem to mind the dampness clinging to him and instead curled Sehun up in his lap, letting the younger man rest his head on his chest and just cry. He didn’t ask questions, didn’t try to find out what was wrong, just rocked Sehun gently in his arms, a blanket wrapped around both of them.

The tears eventually petered out, but the horrible, crushed feeling in his chest didn’t go away. That brush off had seemed so final that Sehun wouldn’t have been surprised if Jongin never wanted to see him again. And he didn’t think he could live like that.

When he was calm enough to wipe his own face, Luhan gently squeezed him, making Sehun raise his swollen eyes to meet his. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

“Jongin and I had a fight. A bad one. I think we might be over.” It seemed like the coldest way possible to describe what had just happened. “I…invaded his space, but only because he wouldn’t let me in. And he’s so mad at me, I can tell.”

“What do you mean, he wouldn’t let you in?”

Sehun wiped his eyes again. “Don’t tell Suho this.”

“Of course not.”

“I’ve never been to Jongin’s place. Ever. I didn’t even know where it was until today. I found one of his envelopes mixed in with my garbage and I followed it. He found me outside the house and he got so mad.”

“What, does he have a wife or something?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what could be in there that’s so bad that he can’t share it with me. He knows I love him, and that I would love him no matter what.”

“If it had been Minseok, I probably would have done the same thing, Hunnie.” Luhan brushed his cheek across the top of Sehun’s head. “If he was hiding something like that from me, I would be dying to know what was in there too. You and I are a lot alike. We both love our partners so much we’d walk over hot coals for them. I can’t imagine how much it must hurt to have your partner hide something like their home from you.”

The thought of Minseok and Luhan’s relationship made Sehun feel worse. They were disgustingly in love and had been for nearing on five years, ever since Luhan and Jongdae had moved to the coastal town to set up their coffee shop. Minseok would never have hidden something as important as his home from Luhan. In fact, if memory served, Minseok had invited Luhan in almost as soon as they met. Love at first sight and all that.

Sehun felt like crying all over again. Luhan seemed to sense it and kissed the top of his head. “Here, Hunnie, why don’t I get you some dry clothes and we’ll have some coffee and some of Jongdae’s goodies and watch a movie?”

“Okay.” Sehun burrowed himself deep inside the protective shell of the blanket, pulling it tight around him. It smelled like Minseok and Luhan, and even though they hadn’t had it long enough to really deposit their essence in it, he could feel them in the soft fibers, could feel the love and warmth and happiness in it. He wrapped it tighter around himself, trying to soak it up as much as he could.

Luhan came back with the coffee and almond braids first, then ran down into the basement to grab some clothes he’d thrown into the dryer. They had to have been Luhan’s own clothes, since Minseok was a good bit shorter than Sehun. He pulled on the sweats and the soft sweater and scooted over on the couch to let Luhan back in.

They watched a light comedy and had their coffee and almond braids in comfortable silence. The way that Luhan’s knee stayed pressed up against his, and the furtive glances he snuck his way every now and then reminded Sehun he wasn’t alone, and that other people loved him other than Jongin.

By noon, Sehun felt strong enough to go into work, even though Luhan had already told Minseok that Sehun had come to him for comfort and Minseok had given him the day off. Sehun was sure if he went home and sat alone in the apartment he would go insane. It was better to be at work where he could at least try to dust more inventory, or maybe set loose a spirit or two.

Minseok seemed very distressed to see him in the shop when he came out of the back room. “Hunnie! I told Luhan that you had the day off!” He ran his hands over him, as if checking for physical damage, his eyebrows furrowed over his wire glasses.

“I know. Jongdae’s almond braids could cure cancer.” Sehun managed a weak smile. He was still wearing Luhan’s sweater and his own dried jeans.

“Lu took care of you?”

“Lu took good care of me.”

Minseok sighed, taking his glasses off to clean them. “All right. Can you dust down aisle three? It’s so thick I left footprints in there.”

“I didn’t realize you were an elf on the shelf, Minseok.” Sehun grabbed the duster and got to work, careful not to knock over any of the milk glass at the very end of the aisle. That stuff sold like crazy out here for some reason and he needed to keep Minseok’s stock intact.

Because he’d come in when half the day was already over, the work day seemed especially short. Minseok started closing up before Sehun knew it, shooing Sehun back to the back room to tag some new items. Nothing bad happened when he picked them up, which was novel.

There was a knock on the outer glass door and Sehun could hear the eyeroll Minseok had just done. “We’re closed!” He yelled through the door.

“Min, it’s me.” Jongin said. Sehun thought about hiding under the table until he left, but Jongin had already seen the silhouette of his head through the glass. He was in the back room before Sehun could even think about escaping down the stairs. Jongin slammed the door shut, keeping Minseok out of the conversation.

“I got a call from Luhan an hour ago threatening bodily harm if I didn’t start treating you better.” Jongin said, leaning against the door casually.

“I was kind of a mess when he saw me.” Sehun said, keeping his eyes on the items he was tagging. He only had a few left and it only gave him an excuse not to look at Jongin for a few more minutes.

“I guess so. I’ve never heard Lu use language like that.” He grabbed Sehun’s chin and forced him to look at him. “Do you want to see what’s in my house?”

Slowly, Sehun nodded. “I do. I want to see your home, Jongin. It’s a part of you.”

“It’s a part of me.” He repeated slowly. “Keep that in mind, Sehun. Follow me.”

So Sehun got into his car and followed Jongin down to the cottage again. This time, Jongin waited for him by the front door, keys jingling in his hands.

“Jongin, nothing in there is going to make me love you any less.” Sehun said, squeezing Jongin’s free hand. Jongin made a noncommittal sound and unlocked the door, holding it open for Sehun.

The sorrow hit him like a brick to the face. He tried not to visibly react as he walked inside, into a cozy living room. The floorboards were the same weathered gray, the furniture chipping cream. Several old afghans were spread over the couches, giving it a colorful, mismatched vibe. There was no TV, just Jongin’s massive computer set up for his composing work.

He was taken next to a small kitchen that looked like it saw little use, and the master bedroom, which looked equally ill-used. Nothing other than the deep sorrow permeating the walls and the air itself gave Sehun any reason that Jongin would have kept him away.

“I don’t understand, Jongin.” Sehun said, sitting on the couch, fingers picking at the red and brown yarn underneath him. “It’s just a cottage. No skeletons in the closet.”

“No, nothing in the closet.” Jongin looked nervous, fingers twisting together. “Nothing will make you love me less?”

“Nothing, Jongin.”

He took a deep breath. “Taemin?” At first, Sehun thought he might have been calling some small cat or maybe even a kid, but that wasn’t it.

No, what happened instead was a spirit materialized in the middle of the living room, and not just a cloud of smoke. No, he was a fully formed spirit, only his slight transparency giving him away. Sehun just gaped, eyes taking in the spirit.

He couldn’t have been much older than Jongin and Sehun, at least, when he had died. He was dressed like a seventies punk, blond hair bleached and shaved on the sides, leaving the top long and coiffed up into a sort of soft Mohawk. Dark, smudgy eyeliner ringed his eyes. A leopard print jacket stuck through with safety pins, a black tank top, and ripped jeans were the clothes he’d died in. He was barefoot, feet posed like a dancer even though his feet couldn’t make real contact with the floor.

“Sehun, this is Taemin. Taemin, my boyfriend Sehun.” Jongin said, eyes flicking back and forth between Sehun and Taemin. The blond moved forward, bare feet soundless on the wood floor.

“I knew it.” Taemin breathed, speaking for the first time.

“Knew what?” Jongin asked, eyes flicking towards Sehun, who still hadn’t said a word and looked like he might bolt at any time.

“The angelica sprig. I knew you had to be gifted.” Taemin poked a ghostly finger at Sehun’s chest. If he hadn’t long ago gotten used to the feeling of ghosts touching him, Sehun might have screamed.

“Tae, I don’t understand.” Jongin drew the spirit’s attention back to him.

“You never told him, did you?” Taemin asked Sehun, who shook his head slightly. “Jongin, your boyfriend has the Sight.”

“The Sight?” Jongin looked at Sehun, white as a sheet. “Hunnie?”

“I can see spirits.” Sehun admitted, the words like chalk in his mouth. “Ever since I was little. I can sense their presence, can feel their energy in the objects they left behind.” He swallowed hard, trying to ignore the way Jongin was staring at him, and the triumphant look on Taemin’s translucent face. “The herbs I keep, they help me draw the spirit out, talk them through their issues and get them to move on.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jongin had the audacity to look hurt.

“You also didn’t tell me you had a fucking ghost living in your house!” Sehun gestured at Taemin, who was hovering close enough that Sehun’s violent motion swept his arm right through his leopard covered midsection.

“Because you would have thought I was crazy!”

“Like what I just told you wasn’t crazy!”

“Okay kids, let’s relax.” Taemin said. “We all have secrets we keep.” Sehun and Jongin both swung their heads to glare at him. “My point is, now we’re all being honest. Jongin lives with a ghost and you can see them.”

“Did you buy this house knowing he was here?” Sehun asked.

Jongin shook his head. “The house used to belong to my grandmother. Taemin and I have been friends since I was little, and when my grandmother passed, I took it over so some new family wouldn’t wander in and not realize there was a spirit here.”

“Okay. Makes sense.” Not really, but maybe if Sehun pretended enough he would believe it. “I need to get something out of my car.”

Jongin followed him out and watched worriedly from under the porch awning while Sehun dug around in his trunk for his duffel bag. Sehun guessed he was worried that he was going to drive away and never speak to him again. But really, Sehun needed a cup of tea. He dragged the duffel bag into the kitchen and found a very dusty mug to heat some water up in. Taemin had followed them to the kitchen and was hovering rather frighteningly in the stove, only his torso visible.

Sehun loaded his tea diffuser with mint, anise, and cloves and dunked it into the tea. He found a half empty bottle of whiskey and dumped in a healthy amount for good measure. He turned back around to see Jongin looking at him like a bomb that might go off at any second and Taemin peering into his cup curiously.

“I can’t smell it. What’s in it?” Taemin asked, looking at the tea cup.

“Cloves for clarity. Mint for communication and vitality. Anise for stimulating my abilities. And whiskey because I need a fucking drink.”

“Tasty.” Taemin withdrew, hovering over Jongin’s shoulder as he watched his boyfriend anxiously. Sehund downed half the cup in one go, not caring that it burned his throat and tongue on the way down. This was going to be a long night.

\--

Sehun woke up with something hovering over him. As used as he was to dealing with spirits, he had never lived with one, and the sight of Taemin hovering over him made him scream instinctively.

Jongin thrashed awake next to him. “What, what?”

Sehun, clutching his hand to his thumping chest, glared at Taemin. “Casper over here decided it would be funny to sit on my chest and wake me up.”

“Sorry Miss Cleo, I didn’t realize you were so sensitive to me that it would wake you up. Never wakes up Kai.” Taemin floated away towards the ceiling, legs crossed underneath him. Sehun gritted his teeth at the nickname. He hated that Taemin had a secret nickname for Jongin.

Jongin’s hand coming up to rub the back of Sehun’s neck helped a little with his anger. “Tae, we talked about this. Hunnie needs to sleep.”

“So he can go dust things for a living.” Taemin snorted, floating onto his back. The hand on the back of Sehun’s neck tightened slightly, just enough to keep him from immediately popping off at Taemin.

“Tae, go away. I want to sleep, too.” Jongin glanced at the clock. It was barely three am. Then again, to a ghost, hours didn’t really mean anything.

“Fine. I guess I’ll go amuse myself somewhere else.” Taemin passed through the ceiling into what Jongin had told Sehun was the attic. It was too damp and unstable to go into, but Taemin had investigated it and made sure there was nothing of value up there. It seemed to be where the ghost stayed if Jongin wasn’t in the house.

“God, now I know why you always wanted to stay at my place.” Sehun groaned, stuffing his head under the pillow. Since he and Jongin had come clean to each other, they’d been trying to spend a few nights a week at Jongin’s place, to keep it more even and allow Sehun to experience more of Jongin’s day to day life.

Unfortunately, Taemin was used to it being just the two of them, and had a habit of third wheeling. The kind of third wheeling where an exorcism was required wasn’t anything Sehun was used to.

“I’m sorry he scared you.” Jongin rubbed his bare back gently. “He’s not used to other people really.”

“I’ve been picking up on that.” Sehun rolled onto his back and saw the smoldering look Jongin was giving him. “What?”

“You look very pretty in this light, Sehun.” Jongin’s eyes flicked up towards the window over his bed. It faced the ocean and let in the moonlight reflecting off the waves. In the silvery light, with his pale hair and golden skin, Sehun looked like a work of art. He had just moved to kiss him when Sehun’s hand shot up, hitting Jongin in the chest.

“Nope. I refuse to have sex with you where someone else can see us.” Sehun gestured towards the attic.

“He wouldn’t watch.” Jongin wheedled.

“No, I’m pretty sure he would. Just to annoy me.” Sehun sighed when Jongin pouted and let his boyfriend rest his head on his chest. “Minseok and Lu invited us over for dinner tomorrow night. We’ll spend it at my place, okay?”

“Okay.” Jongin stuck his tongue out and licked Sehun’s nipple, making him squeak.

“Fresh!” Sehun shoved him away, gathering the covers around himself protectively. “Let me sleep!”

“Fine, fine.” Jongin still grabbed his ass before he rolled over and let Sehun get to sleep.

Taemin reappeared while Sehun was brushing his teeth and nearly scared him half to death. The scream he let out didn’t make Jongin run in from the kitchen where he was fixing breakfast. He just bellowed, “Taemin, leave Sehun alone!” The ghost, giggling slightly, went through the walls to the kitchen.

Sehun tried to calm his pounding heart and get dressed, but he was still on edge when he walked out to the kitchen. Taemin was sitting, or floating on top of, one of the chairs at the kitchen table, like he was sitting down to breakfast with Sehun and Jongin. Sehun did his best to ignore him and just drink his coffee. Taemin ignored him too, chattering on to Jongin about the attic and something that was making a nest up there.

Finally, finally, it was time to leave for work. Sehun was pretty sure his hair was standing straight up from the stress. He expected Jongin to kiss him goodbye at the door, but instead he grabbed his jacket and keys as Sehun was getting ready to face the rain.

“You’re leaving too?” Sehun asked, noting the laptop bag slung over Jongin’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m not going to get any work done while Taemin’s like this. I figured I’d drop you off at work and then go work at your place?”

“Fine by me. I’ll catch a ride with Minseok and Lu to their house and you can meet me there.”

“Perfect.” The two of them hurried out to the car, diving in before either of them could get too wet.

“So what do you mean, when Taemin’s like this?” Sehun asked as they pulled onto the main road.

“He’s twitchy. He needs my attention like a toddler sometimes and I just don’t have the time right now.” Jongin sighed. “I feel bad though. I know why he’s being so annoying.”

“Why?”

Jongin heaved another sigh. “His death day is coming up. He always gets especially clingy around this time.”

“How’d he die?”

“I don’t know. He’s never told me. I figured it would be rude to look it up if he didn’t want me to know.” He glanced over at Sehun, who was looking at him with soft eyes. “What?”

“I love you, Jongin.” Not every man would respect the privacy of a spirit, and not every man would help them through the struggles of their death day. Having had to shoulder that burden because of his gift was one thing. But Jongin did it willingly.

“I love you too, Hunnie.” Jongin smiled slightly and turned his attention back to the slow road in front of them. “Anyway, I think that’s why he’s been playing tricks on you. He has to share my attention now.”

“Makes sense.” Sehun didn’t particularly like having to share it either, but he didn’t have the benefit of ghostly powers.

Jongin parked in front of the coffee shop and scurried in with Sehun, intent on getting some of Jongdae’s almond braids to snack on while he worked. Luhan beckoned Sehun over to the register.

“You guys good now?” Luhan asked. He hadn’t had the chance to ask Sehun since that day and Sehun hadn’t texted him letting him know if things were back to normal.

“Yeah. We worked it out.” Sehun squeezed Luhan’s hand. “So, master chef, what’s for dinner?”

“Minseok’s cooking. I think he wants to do something with dumplings.” Luhan shrugged.

“Baozi and dumplings, oh there’s a bad mix.” Jongin said, coming up behind Sehun to pay for the almond braids.

“Good for Sehun though, he needs to gain a little weight.” Luhan poked Sehun in the stomach. “I can’t believe Junnie and Dae haven’t fattened you up yet.”

“I work it off him.” The grin on Jongin’s face was pure evil and Sehun wanted to disappear. Luhan, unimpressed, just raised an eyebrow.

“I’m going to go to work now.” Sehun managed to say before making his quick escape upstairs. Minseok was already working with a customer, so Sehun picked up a duster and went down aisle 6, the creepiest aisle in the whole store.

Nothing they sold harbored anything nasty or spooky, but this was Minseok’s “oddities” aisle. There was a two-headed rabbit skeleton that was very much real, and an Ouiji board with a planchette made of bone. Sehun tried not to look too carefully at the inventory, just gave them a quick dusting and moved along.

He had just come out of aisle 6, dusty and nervous, when he bumped into one of the endcap displays and a jolt of electricity shot up his arm. He held his hand out carefully over the display, trying to figure out what it was that he’d reacted to without getting another shock.

It turned out to be an old, battered leather cap with a chain across the brim. It looked like something out of the 1970s punk scene. Just the fact that he’d recognized it made him grit his teeth and touch it.

He’d gotten tuned to Taemin’s presence now that he’d spent enough time around him, and he could feel him in the cap. It had belonged to him, definitely.

“What’s up?” Minseok asked, surprising Sehun and making him drop the hat. “You sense something?”

“No, no.” Sehun tried to look innocent. He told Minseok about a lot of things, but Taemin was Jongin’s secret to share or not. “Probably just a blip from that bone planchette.”

“Stay out of that aisle Hunnie, I’ll take care of the dusting there.” Minseok pushed his glasses up his nose. “So are you excited for dinner tonight?”

“Lu said something about dumplings when I saw him downstairs. You know I’m on board for dumplings.”

“Good. It’s my mother’s recipe, so you know it’ll be good.”

“Can we skip work and go straight to dinner?”

Minseok laughed. “And leave Jongdae to run the coffee shop? Luhan would have a fit. He only leaves for emergencies.”

“Fine, I suppose we can stay and work then.” Sehun felt better being around Minseok, even in a shop full of things that had belonged to dead people. At least Taemin wasn’t popping out of the sink or the toilet like he did that one time Sehun got up to pee in the middle of the night. Sehun wasn’t sure how Jongin had lived with a ghost for so long without losing his mind.

The rain stopped for a whole two hours in the middle of the day, allowing the tourists to come out in full force. Sehun and Minseok actually had a busy day, and based on the annoying jingle of the bell from the coffee shop downstairs, Jongdae and Luhan were equally busy.

By the time they closed the shop, Sehun wanted to fall down and die. Between Taemin’s rude wakeup call and the busy day, he was exhausted. He was glad he got to stretch his legs out across the back of Minseok’s car and rest his eyes on the ride to the townhouse. When they parked, Luhan reached back and rubbed his hand across Sehun’s knee gently.

“Hunnie? Come on, you can nap inside.” Luhan coaxed him awake and onto the couch, where he was covered up with a blanket and left alone for a while. Sehun suspected they were taking advantage of his nap to go upstairs and have sex, but he didn’t hear anything so he didn’t care. By the time he woke up, Minseok was working on the dumplings, and Luhan, freshly showered and wearing a new sweater, was sitting in his armchair reading a magazine.

“Ahh, Sleeping Beauty awakens.” Luhan said, smiling at Sehun over the top of his magazine. “Did you not sleep well last night?”

“Not really. I spent the night at Jongin’s place and I’m still getting used to it. Really close to the ocean and all that. It sounds like the house is going to wash away.” Sehun sat up and stretched, feeling his back unkink from the way he’d been sleeping.

“I’d like to see it sometime. I love beach houses.” Luhan set his magazine aside and stood up. “You want something to drink? Tea, beer?”

“I’ll take the beer. Jongin’s driving.”

Luhan returned with two open beers, just in time to hear Minseok screech at the top of his lungs and the sound of metal clattering against the floor. Luhan bolted into the kitchen, Sehun right on his heels. What they found on the kitchen made Sehun fall against the refrigerator, wheezing with laughter.

A bird had come in through the open window and was flying around the kitchen, mostly circling Minseok’s head as he tried to protect the open pot of food he was working on. He was still screeching, as if it would make the bird go away, but it seemed to confuse it more.

“Min, duck!” Luhan grabbed the broom and swatted at the bird, trying to work it back towards the window. Minseok grabbed his cutting board and did the same, leaving a teary-eyed Sehun to protect the food. He barely managed to get the lid secured on it through his peals of laughter, watching Minseok valiantly try to beat the bird back towards the open window with his plastic cutting board. Luhan finally gave one good war cry and with a proper swing of the broom sent the bird flying back out through the window. Minseok slammed it shut before anything else could get in.

Sehun finally collapsed on the floor and laughed until tears actually streamed down his face. Luhan stretched out across his legs to let the giggles out as well. Minseok was mostly just indignant that a bird had had the audacity to fly into his kitchen while he was cooking, and that Luhan and Sehun were laughing so much at it. He finally took the broom to them to get them to go back into the living room.

“Oh, that has to be the best thing I’ve seen in a while.” Sehun said, wiping his eyes.

“My poor Minseokkie had to battle a bird that was bigger than him.” Luhan giggled again before taking a sip of his beer. They were still coming down from their giggle fit when Jongin arrived, with another bruise blooming on his cheek.

“Oh my God, what did you do this time?” Luhan asked, getting up to get a bag of ice for Jongin.

“Fell in Sehun’s apartment this time. Someone needs to clean up.” Jongin called. Sehun glared.

“My apartment is not that messy.” Sehun muttered. Jongin glanced over his shoulder at the kitchen, where Luhan was filling Minseok on in what had happened.

“I went home and saw you know who. He got a little upset.” Jongin whispered, gesturing at his face.

“He’s not solid.” Sehun whispered back.

“No, but he’s strong. He moves shit around sometimes. He threw something at me.”

Sehun raised his eyebrows. Most spirits didn’t have enough juice to move objects. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it didn’t hurt me badly. And he’s just upset.” Jongin turned as soon as Luhan came back in. “Thanks Lu.”

“No problem. We should get a bubble for you, so you don’t keep bashing your face in.” Luhan laughed, picking up his beer again.

“Hey, are there more beers in the fridge?” Jongin asked.

“You’re driving home.” Sehun held up his nearly-empty bottle. “Sorry babe.”

“I suppose I’ll be responsible for the both of us.” Jongin sighed dramatically, curling into Sehun’s side. When Minseok finished prepping the food and set it to simmer, he came out to join the group. Jongin was treated to a dramatic reenactment of the battle with the bird that left him in tears, clutching onto Sehun to stay upright.

It was always nice to have these double date nights with Minseok and Luhan. The townhouse was comfortable and warm, and the hosts were wonderful. The dumplings Minseok had made were delicious; Jongin had three helpings, and Sehun had two. After dinner there was tea and some of Jongdae’s adapted almond cookies, reformulated so they didn’t have giant chunks of almond in them. Talking and laughing with another couple felt good and normal, even though Sehun’s stomach twisted every time he looked at Jongin’s swollen face.

By the time Minseok sent them home at midnight, Sehun had worked himself up into a fit. “Jongin, I’m really worried about you. Spirits don’t usually have enough juice to throw things like that. Did he hurt you the last time your face was bruised?”

“Yeah, he did.” Jongin sighed. “Today was bad. He was crying when I got back.”

“Ghosts can cry?”

“I’ve seen him cry a lot. He thinks he’s losing me because I spend all my time with you and he needs my support.”

Sehun bit back a comment about how he was alive and Taemin was haunting Jongin’s house. It wouldn’t do any good. “Do you think you spend too much time with me?”

“No. You’re my boyfriend. I love you. If I was stapled to your ass every minute of the day like Baekhyun is to Chanyeol, maybe we’d have a problem. But Tae’s just oversensitive right now because of the time of year. I think he said this year will be forty years since he died.”

“That’s a long time to be haunting some place.”

“I know. I think that’s why he’s so upset.” Jongin probed his face gently and winced. “I wish he wouldn’t have thrown the paperweight though.”

“He threw a _paperweight_?”

“It was what was close, I guess. It really didn’t hurt me that much.”

“Jongin, I’ve been hit in the face with a paperweight. It hurts a lot.”

“When did you get hit with a paperweight?”

“A spirit threw it at me. I was trying to get him to stop possessing the paperweight and he got pissed.”

Jongin, paused at a stoplight, turned to gape at Sehun. “Dude, what is your life?”

“A fucking disaster of ghosts, that’s what it is.” Sehun shook his head. “Come on, let’s go upstairs so you can make sweet love to me without an audience.”

“Are you sure nothing in here is haunted?”

“I’m positive. I have a completely ghost free apartment. Now if only I didn’t have a dick free ass.”

Jongin stopped as he was pulling out his key ring to stare at Sehun. “How much beer did you drink?”

“Just two. But having sex isn’t a spectator sport for me and it’s been like a week. So come on. I’ll even give you some herbs for extra potency.” He waggled his eyebrows in a manner he hoped was seductive. He was a little buzzed. He didn’t drink often.

“You have herbs that can do that?”

“Dude, I have every kind of herb. Not that I think you need it.”

“You might need it. Because we’re going two rounds.” He caught Sehun’s earlobe between his teeth and tugged gently.

“Oh baby, romance me.” Sehun laughed and led his boyfriend into his ghost-free bedroom, where no spirit would interrupt them by sticking their head through the ceiling.

\--

“Min, what do you mean you think it’s haunted?” Sehun shuffled the phone to fit between his shoulder and his cheek.

“I mean, this thing moved across the room by itself. I think it’s haunted.” Minseok sounded freaked out enough that Sehun took it seriously.

“Okay. Are you at home?”

“No, I came to the shop to leave the inventory here and then it moved itself. What do I do with it?”

“If you saw it move, it’s probably too strong to try to clear it at the shop. Can you take it to Junnie? I know Kris was going to help Baekhyun and Chanyeol build some furniture and Yixing’s toddler class has a recital today.”

“I’m honestly afraid to put it in the car.”

“There’s some herbs in the back of the shop in the bottom of the filing cabinet. Go find the bag.”

Jongin came out of the bathroom in just his boxers, toweling off his hair. “What’s up?” He asked.

“Minseok picked up something haunted again, I have to go over to Junmyeon’s to clear it out.”

“Junnie knew too?” Jongin sounded a little hurt and Sehun had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes.

“Your best friend is a ghost.” He said, turning away as Minseok crackled back onto the line.

“Okay. This all looks like a bag of pot to me.”

“You know what sage smells like right?”

“Yeah you’ve burned it in here enough.” There was rustling of the plastic bags. “Okay, sage in hand.”

“There’s salt in the back room too. Put whatever it is in a box with the sage and the salt, it should contain the spirit so you can get it over to Junmyeon’s.”

“Okay. God, I really should start taking you to these things with me.”

“I know. I’ll be there soon. Drive safe.” Sehun hung up and headed for the bathroom. It was muggy and humid from Jongin’s blistering hot shower but with Taemin throwing tantrums constantly Jongin was getting sore. He had only come over to take a shower in peace before he went home.

“So you’re going to go exorcise something?”

“Based on what Minseok says, it’s going to be an exorcism. Usually I can just talk whatever it is into calming down, or dispel whatever negative energy is surrounding the object.” Sehun knelt down and started stuffing herbs into his bag. His usual kit didn’t sound like it was going to be enough. He opened the jar of agrimony and took an experimental sniff. He winced at the acrid smell. Still good.

“I’m coming with you.” Jongin disappeared into the bedroom.

“What about Taemin? Won’t he destroy your house?”

“No, because then he’d have nowhere to haunt.” Jongin wiggled into his jeans and pulled one of Sehun’s hoodies on. “I’m ready. Take me to the exorcism.”

“Haven’t you had enough shit thrown at your head by a ghost?”

“I’m coming with you, Hunnie.” The look on his face left no room for argument. Sehun knew he’d just follow him to the house anyway.

“All right. Let’s go.” He finished packing his bag with ingredients and tossed it into his trunk with the other duffel. Jongin sat in his passenger seat with a determined look on his face.

Sehun was considering letting him stay with him while he worked, until he walked into the storage unit in Junmyeon’s backyard. Junnie and Minseok had been hovering outside it anxiously, waiting for Sehun’s arrival. As soon as Sehun walked in, he felt icy fingers encircle his throat, choking him. He made a strangled noise and fell back into Jongin, trying to catch his breath even as the spirit fought him. Jongin dragged him back outside, the door slamming shut behind him.

Sehun dropped to his knees, wheezing as air flooded back into his lungs. When he looked up, the three of them were staring at him with concern.

“Minseok, did you have to buy a fucking poltergeist?” Sehun accepted Jongin’s hand and let him help him up, leaning into his body for support.

“I didn’t know it was haunted! I thought it was just a nice hand mirror.” Minseok wrung his hands together. “And then it moved and I knew something was wrong.”

“Yeah, it’s strong, and I think it knows what I am.” Sehun took a deep breath. “I need all of you to go inside, right now.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Jongin insisted. Junmyeon and Minseok both nodded.

“You’re all going to get killed. I’m not letting you in there.” Sehun crossed his arms over his chest.

“What happens if it hurts you? And you’re trapped in there without us knowing if you’re all right?” Junmyeon shook his head. “No, we’re going in. At least if something happens to you I’ll be able to see it, sort of.”

“You too?” Jongin asked incredulously. “How many of you can see ghosts?”

“As far as I know, just Sehun and me.” Junmyeon shrugged. “Let’s go get this poltergeist out before someone comes home.”

Sehun braced himself for entrance again. Junmyeon and he both tensed when they walked in, feeling the strain of the spirit. Between the four of them, they made a makeshift barricade again. To protect all of them, Sehun sprinkled barley, basil, and blessed thistle around them, with an outer ring of salt just to be safe.

Jongin had just started to light a candle when it blew out in his hand. He tried again, with the same results. “I think it knows what we’re doing.”

“Trust me, as soon as it felt me, it knew what I was doing.” Sehun pulled the candle closer to the inside of the circle and lit it. The flame was weak, but it stayed. Three more candles lit, and the bowl of herbs mixed, and Sehun was ready to confront the spirit.

Well, he really wasn’t, but he didn’t have any choice. He ordered everyone to stay down below the table, and slowly stood up. Minseok had put the mirror on a chair. Sehun could see his own reflection in it, but also a dark smear across the surface.

“I know you’re there. It’s time to move on.” Sehun clutched the bowl of herbs a little closer to him. The dark smear seemed to grow darker, and then Sehun had to duck under the table.

“Fuck!” Jongin yelled as the nails impacted against the top of the table. The table was thick enough that they didn’t come all the way through, but Sehun could see their sharp tips peeking through the wood.

“Yeah, it’s mad.” Sehun pulled Junmyeon’s head down, moving him out of the way of another incoming nail. “And it feels Junmyeon too.”

“Oh this is so bad.” Junmyeon muttered, his voice muffled by Sehun’s knee. “What am I going to tell Kris about his table?”

“That’s the least of our problems, Junnie.” Minseok looked at Sehun, a surprising amount of faith in his eyes. “What do we do?”

“This should be enough to do it. I just...” Sehun hesitated.

“What?” Jongin urged.

“I think I have to go dump it on the mirror.” Sehun braced himself as all of them refused to let him go out from the circle. “I think that’s the only way any of us leave this room. The spirit’s too strong. And it’s pissed off, which is a bad combination.”

“Hunnie, no. Just no. We’ll do something else, we’ll come back to it.” Jongin grabbed his hand. Sehun, jaw set, shook his head.

“No one moves outside this circle other than me. You do, and you’re dead, I guarantee that.” Sehun pulled his last ditch resort out of his pocket, the bottle of frankincense oil. He poured a generous amount of it on the bowl of herbs and lit it on fire. The smoke that curled out of it immediately was thick and blue. Before anyone could stop him, he was up and out from behind the table. The smear had grown like tar across the surface of the mirror and it roiled in response to the smoke.

Sehun felt like a small child again, watching his grandfather in the storage shed behind his grandparents’ house. “I command you, leave this place!” The mirror shrieked in response, and Sehun could barely hear his friends’ screams of pain behind him. “Leave this place!” A window shattered and a hammer flew past his head. Every step he took towards the mirror suffocated him a little more, until he was there, on his knees in front of it, dumping the bowl over the mirror. It let out a final screech, and Sehun fainted.

“When he wakes up, I’m going to knock him unconscious.” Junmyeon snarled over Sehun’s head, dabbing at his forehead with a damp cloth.

“Junnie, hush.” Minseok hissed, holding a shaking Jongin in his arms. He’d been shaking and crying since Sehun had fainted. The blood coming out of his nose and the huge lump on his forehead was not helping matters. Jongin had been the first to get up after the explosion, to find his boyfriend splayed out on the concrete floor and the mirror smoking in front of him. That was when he’d fallen to pieces, leaving Junmyeon and Minseok to carry Sehun in. The nose bleed showed no sign of stopping yet, but Sehun’s fluttering eyelashes seemed to indicate that he was coming around.

“Is he going to be okay?” Jongin asked for what felt like the millionth time.

“He’s going to be okay, I promise.” Minseok murmured, holding Jongin’s head close to his chest. “Just relax. He’s going to wake up soon.”

Junmyeon dunked his washcloth back into the bowl of cool water and dabbed at Sehun’s temples and under his jaw. Sehun groaned slightly, eyes squeezing shut.

“Hunnie? Can you hear me?” Junmyeon asked softly.

“Guh.” Sehun tried to open his eyes and immediately regretted it. The light felt like an axe in his forehead. “Lugh.”

“Lugh?” Junmyeon asked Minseok.

“Either he’s asking for Luhan, or he wants the lights off.” Minseok supplied. Jongin broke out of his hold to flip the switch, leaving them in partial darkness.

“Hunnie? Is this better?” Junmyeon asked, wiping the blood away from Sehun’s nose. He’d stuffed some tissues into it but they were quickly getting soaked through.

“Blugh.” Sehun cracked his eyes open. “Ow.”

“Yeah, ow. You were out for a while.” Junmyeon gave him a relieved smile. “If you ever do this to me again, I swear I will beat your ass.”

“Told you…not to come.” Sehun raised one hand and felt the tissues shoved up his nose. “What?”

“Nosebleed. Pretty profuse.” Minseok said, joining Junmyeon on his knees by the couch. “Worse than that time with the doll.”

“Ugh.” Sehun pulled them out, restarting the flow of blood. Junmyeon quickly jammed fresh tissues up his nose.

“Just lay still for a bit, okay? It looks like you took a pretty hard hit to the head.” Junmyeon eased his hands back towards his sides.

“Jongin?” Sehun couldn’t really move his head because of the pain, but he couldn’t see his boyfriend. Minseok shuffled to the side slightly and Jongin’s tearstreaked face appeared over him.

“Oh my God, Hunnie.” Jongin whimpered, brushing his hair back. “You scared me so bad, baby.”

“Sorry.” Sehun smiled and winced when it moved the tissues in his raw nose.

“Min, will you get him some water?” Junmyeon asked softly. Minseok disappeared from Sehun’s view, leaving only his worried guardian and his terrified boyfriend.

“What the hell was that thing?” Jongin asked. “That’s not like…anything I’ve ever seen before.” Sehun, even in his state, recognized Jongin’s quick editing to avoid the subject of Taemin.

“Poltergeist. Very evil, very angry. Prone to inhabiting reflective objects. No fun.” Sehun tilted his chin down just a bit to help Minseok pour water down his throat. He still spluttered and choked. “Everyone else okay?”

“Shaken up and with ringing ears, but otherwise we’re all okay. We are going to have some explaining to do to Kris about his work table and the state of the storage shed, but everything else is fine.” Minseok squeezed Sehun’s hand gently. “You just rest, okay?”

“Now you’re taking Suho’s job.” Sehun closed his eyes, pleased with his snarky comment. Junmyeon clucked above him.

“I swear I will beat you into next century if you ever go Lone Ranger like that again. That was stupid.”

“Got the poltergeist out of your storage shed. Be happy.” Sehun cracked one eye open. “Jongin, cuddles.”

“I’m afraid to move you.” Jongin still got up and wormed his way onto the couch, carefully easing Sehun out of the way so he could lie down with him.

“Just rest. We’re gonna try to clean up the storage room.” Minseok patted Sehun’s hand and he and Junmyeon left the room. Jongin stroked Sehun’s hair gently, careful to avoid the bump on his head.

“You scared me half to death.” He murmured. “I thought I lost you there for a second.”

“No. Just knocked out.” Sehun leaned his head on Jongin’s chest.

“Is…is that something that could happen to Taemin?”

“No. He’s a human spirit. That thing was not.”

Jongin sighed in relief. “Thank God.”

“Will you take me home and make me soup?”

“Of course, baby. And I’ll make sure Taemin stays in the attic and doesn’t bother you.” Sehun wanted to protest being taken to Jongin’s place, but it was probably better to not have to go upstairs. And the cottage was cozy, when Taemin wasn’t playing pranks on him.

Junmyeon and Minseok gave up on trying to pry the nails out of the table and came back into the house. Apparently Junmyeon had decided to tell Kris they were vandalized while he was out running an errand. It seemed perfectly logical to Sehun, but he had a mild head wound and probably shouldn’t have been consulted.

Between the three of them, they were able to get Sehun into the car and buckled up safely. Jongin drove way under the speed limit to avoid jostling his head too much. It took longer to get to the cottage, but it kept Sehun from crying and that was all that mattered.

“What happened to him?” Taemin asked when Jongin and Sehun came in. Jongin settled Sehun on the couch carefully before turning to answer.

“He exorcised a poltergeist and got hurt. Can you watch him for a second? I’m going to make some tea.” Jongin disappeared into the kitchen.

“A poltergeist, huh?” Taemin floated nearer to Sehun, who watched him through half closed eyes. “That takes a lot of juice.

“Rattlesnake root, black pepper, and dragonwort. Plus determination and psychic ability.” Sehun responded. He felt absolutely drained. He didn’t think he could even lift his head off the pillow.

“Was Jongin with you?”

“He insisted.”

Taemin snorted. “Sounds like him.”

“Yeah, he didn’t want me to go alone.” Sehun shivered slightly.

“Are you cold?”

“A little.” He had just started to lift his hands when he felt the afghan pull itself over him. He looked at Taemin, whose eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as the afghan tucked itself around Sehun.

“Thank you.” It was the first genuinely nice interaction Taemin and Sehun had had. It seemed almost unreal, but that could have been Sehun’s head.

“I’ll leave you and Kai to rest. Feel better, Miss Cleo.” Taemin disappeared into the attic just as Jongin returned with the tea.

“Did Taemin leave?” He asked, helping Sehun sit up.

“Just now. He wants us to rest.” Sehun wondered if now was a good time to tell Jongin he’d found Taemin’s hat, but it didn’t seem right. Not when Jongin was already so shaken. He’d save it for another day when he hadn’t gotten knocked out by a poltergeist and nearly had his head taken off with a hammer.

\--

“Hunnie, wake up baby.” Jongin said softly, rubbing his hand up and down his boyfriend’s arm.

“No, go away.” Sehun stuffed his head under the pillow.

“I need to talk to you Hunnie and your alarm is about to go off anyway.”

With a groan, Sehun rolled over to face Jongin, already fully dressed. “What’s up?”

“One of my clients wants to work closely with me in the final stages of the composition.”

“Oh. How far are you going?”

“I’ll be out of town for a few days.” Jongin took Sehun’s hand, rubbing his knuckles gently. “I need you to watch over Taemin for me.”

“You mean babysit him.”

“No, he doesn’t need babysitting. But I don’t really want him alone right now. Not the week before his death day. He’s already going to be upset enough that I’m leaving.”

Sehun wanted to say no, wanted to refuse to babysit the ridiculous ghost that didn’t seem to like him very much. But Jongin was asking him, and he couldn’t refuse him. “Okay. When do you leave?”

“Right after I go home and tell Taemin. Can I tell him you’ll be over after you get off work?”

“Yeah. I’ll go straight there from work.” Sehun slammed his hand down on the alarm clock, hitting the different buttons to make it stop beeping. “Can you throw some clothes in a bag so I can get ready for work?”

“Got it.” Jongin knew where he kept his overnight bag and what kind of clothes he would want. So Sehun got ready for work, dressing warmly for the latest storm that was rolling in over the ocean, and wished he had said no. But what kind of selfish bastard would he be if he refused to take care of Jongin’s oldest friend?

Jongin had everything packed by the time Sehun had finished his coffee. “You know you can borrow anything of mine that you need while I’m gone.” He said, handing the packed bag over.

“I know, but it probably won’t fit right.” Sehun kissed his boyfriend on the mouth, savoring the feel of his lips against his own. “Be careful on the drive, okay?”

“I’ll be home in a few days. I’ll call when I get there.” With one final kiss, they separated into their respective cars.

Sehun didn’t mention to Minseok that Jongin was going out of town, or that he’d be staying at Jongin’s cottage while he was gone. He was afraid if Minseok asked him why he was staying there he’d just blurt out the truth. After Minseok had been with him to get rid of the poltergeist, he felt like it had strengthened their bond. Taemin felt like something he should have mentioned, if only because he was bothering him so much.

So Sehun kept to himself, focusing on tagging and organizing the new inventory. Thankfully the hand mirror had been the only thing that had been haunted. Nothing else gave him so much as a blip on the ghost radar.

Walking into Jongin’s house, of course, felt like his entire ghost radar had gotten hit with a grenade. The wreckage of Jongin’s kitchen was enough to tell Sehun that Taemin had had another tantrum.

“Taemin?” Sehun called, nervous as he surveyed the massive hole in the tiled backsplash over the sink. What had he thrown? Sehun leaned to one side and found a heavy, iron, very dented pan on the floor.

“What, no Casper today?” Taemin would have had bloodshot eyes, had he had eyes. But Sehun could tell he’d been crying.

“Not unless you prefer it.” Sehun didn’t ask about the mess, just started sweeping up the dust. “Jongin told you I’m going to be staying with you?”

“Yes.” He didn’t sound very happy about it either. “You don’t have to.”

“He asked me to, so I am.”

“You could have said no. I know you don’t like me.”

Sehun sighed, dumping the debris into the trash can. “It’s not that I don’t like you. It’s that neither of us are used to sharing him. I want my boyfriend, you want your best friend.”

Taemin’s lips twitched. “I guess you’re right.”

“So I’m going to do him this favor, and stay with you so you don’t get lonely or too sad.” Sehun kicked his bag with the toe of his sneaker. “I’ve got the next few days off work, my boss is going on vacation with his boyfriend.”

“Your boss is gay too?”

“Minseok identifies as bisexual, but Luhan is gay, yeah.” Sehun cocked his head at Taemin, examining him. “Why?”

“I don’t know, it’s just odd to me that a gay guy works with another…bisexual guy.”

“There’s a lot of us in our friend group. Jongin and me, Chanyeol and Baekhyun, Luhan and Minseok, and Junmyeon, Kris, and Yixing.”

“Three of them?”

“They make it work.” Sehun turned to put the kettle on, wondering how to formulate his next question. “Did you have a boyfriend, when you were alive?”

“What makes you think I was gay?”

“I spend my life reading the emotions of spirits. No one looks that sad when they hear about a lot of gay, happy guys hanging out together, unless they didn’t have that when they were alive.” Sehun turned around, and saw Taemin’s bottom lip quivering a little. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Yes.” It was soft, like a breath he let out. But Taemin had no lungs, and no tears to spill. “I was in the closet. Not that it mattered. I was a dancer. Not a lot of straight dancers.”

“I thought you might have been a dancer. You…float that way.”

“Jongin hasn’t told you a lot about me, has he?”

“He wants to respect your privacy, I think.”

Taemin just nodded and floated away into the attic. Sehun drank his tea and fixed his dinner, eating quietly in front of his laptop. He had planned to watch movies and make sure that Taemin didn’t destroy the house for the next few days while Minseok and Luhan escaped the rain for sunnier climates. He’d just settled into the couch with an afghan that smelled like Jongin and _The Curse of Sleeping Beauty_ when a loud thunderclap went off over his head and the lights flickered off.

“Oh fuck me.” He went to check the lights, but no dice. The power was out, definitely. “Taemin?”

“Yes, Sehun?” Taemin stuck his head through the ceiling and Sehun tried not to yell.

“Do you know where Jongin keeps the candles? Power went out.”

“I think they’re in the kitchen.” He couldn’t help, but he still followed Sehun into the kitchen to watch him look for the candles and the lighter. Eventually he had enough scattered about the house that he could kind of see where he was and not bash his knees into anything. Taemin looked even more eerie in the candlelight, the flickering of the flames catching on him and reflecting off strangely.

Sehun was about to resign himself to turning in early and hoping the power was back on in the morning when Taemin said something that made him stop and turn around.

“Do you want to invade my privacy?”

Sehun considered him, hands on his hips. “Do you want to tell me something?”

Taemin raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know. I need to talk.”

“Well, the power’s out and the cottage might wash away. All we can do is talk.” Sehun curled himself back under the blanket. “What do you want to talk about?”

“My death.”

Sehun felt the color drain out of his face. Not even Jongin knew how he had died. What was making him so open to telling him, a perfect stranger?

“Okay. How did you die?”

“Have you ever wondered why my feet are bare?” Taemin wiggled his toes for effect.

“I thought maybe you’d come home and taken them off first. I mean, this must have been your house, right?”

“It was.” Taemin stared down at his transparent toes. “You see, when you’re a dancer, visible marks are bad. Bruises, cuts, track marks.” Sehun’s stomach dropped around his knees. “I used to shoot up between my toes. No one could see it. No track marks, no collapsed veins.” He was still carefully considering his toes when Sehun spoke.

“So you overdosed?”

“I was gone in minutes. New supplier, the shit was stronger than I expected. I stopped breathing. Next thing I know, I’m hovering over my own body and no one can see me.” He paused, taking a breath. “It took years for me to be visible. Not until Jongin was a little boy.”

“So you spent all this time in this house, not being able to talk to anybody?” No wonder he was so attached to Jongin. He was the first friend he’d had since he’d died.

“I was alone until he came along. And he looked up at me with those big eyes and he wasn’t afraid of me.”

“Of course he wasn’t.”

“He was never afraid of anything. Except for drugs. I did my best to keep him away from that.”

“Why did you use?” Taemin heaved a sigh.

“It’s a sob story. Hypermasculine dad who didn’t like his sissy boy son who danced, being in the closet. I felt better when I danced, but if I wasn’t dancing I drowned. The only way I could replicate that rush was with heroin. So I got addicted.”

“Why are you telling me all this? You haven’t even told Jongin.”

“Because Jongin would cry for me. You aren’t crying for me.”

“I want to cry.”

“But you aren’t sobbing. And you don’t need me to sugar coat the edges for you.” Taemin leaned closer. “And you’re powerful enough to help me.”

“Help you with what?”

“I want to be free, Sehun. I want to move on. I’ve been trapped in this damn house for forty years, looking at the place where I died every day. You took down a poltergeist on your own, you have to have enough power to send me to the other side.”

“Are you sure? Does Jongin know?”

“No, and he can’t know. He wouldn’t let me go. But I need to go.” He paused, eyes pleading. “Sehun, please. Help me move on.”

\--

Bergamot greeted Sehun at the front door of the apartment, meowing softly when Sehun picked him up.

“Hey Bergie. Need a lift?” He murmured, pressing a kiss between the cat’s ears. He brought him back upstairs to Amber’s apartment. He could hear music playing, and smell the wine and marinara sauce from outside. He felt bad about ringing the doorbell.

“I’ll get it!” He heard a foreign voice call. Sehun braced himself, digging his fingers into Bergamot’s fur to steady himself. The door swung open, revealing a pretty girl with long brown hair and a sweet smile. “Can I help you? Oh, did you find Bergie?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m a friend of Amber’s, I need to talk to her.” Sehun let the girl take Bergamot out of his arms as she let him step inside.

“I’m Krystal by the way.” The girl said. “Amb’s in the kitchen.”

“Thanks. Nice to meet you.” Sehun managed a smile for her before high tailing it to the kitchen.

“Who was it babe?” Amber asked, before, she lifted her head slightly from the pasta sauce she was stirring. “Hunnie, that juju is going to make my wine curdle.”

“Sorry.” Sehun shoved his hands in his pockets. “Sorry to drop in on your date, too.”

“It’s okay. Krystal will understand.” Amber turned around, putting the lid on the pot. “What’s wrong?”

“I need to see your book on spirits.”

“Why? You know how to exorcise spirits.” She still went over to her bookshelf, fingers tapping over the worn leather spines until she found the right one.

“This spirit needs to go to the right place. I’m…helping them move on.” Sehun accepted the worn out book. “Can I take it? I don’t want to be in the middle of your date.”

“Yeah, go ahead.” Amber considered him carefully. “Be careful, Sehun.”

“I’m just helping him move on. Should be a lot easier than getting rid of a poltergeist.” Sehun smiled blandly. “I’ll bring it back when I’m done.”

“Take your time.” She kissed his forehead and headed back to the kitchen. Sehun stuffed the book under his jacket to keep it safe from the rain before running to his car. He flipped the light on and propped the book up against his steering wheel, thumbing through the yellowing pages until he found what he needed.

The herbs wouldn’t be hard to get a hold of. He had them all in his kit at home, along with the white pillar candle the spell called for. He just needed to get it done before his nerves gave out.

He stopped at his apartment briefly to pick up the herbs. As he was leaving, he nearly knocked over a picture frame. He straightened it, tracing his finger over it. He and Jongin were holding each other, laughing even as they looked into each other’s eyes. Sehun’s stomach turned. Jongin wouldn’t forgive him easily for this.

Still, he brought everything back to the cottage, where Taemin was pacing back and forth across the living room floor worriedly. He looked relieved when he saw Sehun and the bag in his hand.

“I was worried you’d run out on me.” Taemin said.

“No. I just needed to get the right supplies.” Sehun rolled the rug away from the wood floor, sitting crosslegged to mix the herbs.

“What is it?”

“Coltsfoot, lavender, and myrtle. Herbs to inspire peace.” Sehun lit the white candle, setting it aside. He looked Taemin dead in the eye. “Are you sure about this?”

“I’ve had forty years to think about it. I’m ready to go.” Taemin smiled softly. “It has been a privilege to know you, Oh Sehun.”

“And you, Lee Taemin.” Sehun used the candle to light the herbs. Lavender colored smoke rose up, catching on Taemin’s edges. Sehun held the candle in his hands, eyes lowered to the flame. “Release with love, spirit be free. Fly with love homeward bound, linger not in this dimension. Cease to be on solid ground, earthly form no more.”

“It’s working.” Taemin said, his voice sounding far away. Sehun repeated the spell and watched Taemin disappear in the cloud of smoke, an echoing, fading laugh hanging in the air.

Sehun nearly set himself on fire with the candle when the door opened behind him. He turned, dreading what he knew he was going to see. Jongin was home early.

“What are you doing?” Jongin asked, looking at the smoking bowl of herbs and the candle in his hands. “Where’s Taemin?”

“He’s…” Sehun swallowed hard. “He’s gone.”

“What do you mean he’s gone?” Jongin’s eyes flickered back to the candle. “You didn’t. Tell me you didn’t, Sehun.”

“He asked me to.” Sehun blew the candle out hurriedly, scrambling to his feet. “Taemin asked me to help him move on.”

“Bullshit.” Jongin spat with more venom than Sehun had ever heard from him. “Taemin would never have left without saying goodbye to me. I knew you were jealous, but I didn’t think you’d stoop this low.”

“Jongin-”

“Shut _up_ , Sehun! You exorcised my best friend! How could you do something like that to him, to me? Do you even know where you sent him?” Jongin scrubbed a hand over his face, a hysterical noise croaking out from his throat. “You’re nothing, Sehun. Less than nothing. You’re lower than the scum of the earth. Just a sad song with nothing to say.”

“ _Jongin-_ ”

“Get out of my house. I don’t ever want to see you again.” When Sehun didn’t immediately move, he lobbed the nearest thing, a heavy ceramic vase, at his head. Sehun barely had enough time to duck. “Get out of my house!”

The front door slammed behind him so hard it rattled Sehun’s bones. He felt too numb to even think, at least until he was inside his car, shaking hands clutching the steering wheel.

He had to pull over because between the pouring rain and the tears he couldn’t see anymore. He slapped at the dashboard until his hazard lights went on, buried his face in his hands, and sobbed and sobbed. Blindly, he dialed the first number on his speed dial.

“Hey Sehun, what’s up?” Junmyeon said through the phone.

“I need you to come get me, Suho.” Sehun sobbed out.

“Where are you, Hunnie? I’m coming right now.” He heard the jingle of keys and the sounds of the creaking staircase.

“I’m on…Old Orchard Road.”

“I’ll be right there. Stay on the line with Yixing, I’m coming to get you right now.” He was abruptly handed off to Yixing, who didn’t ask what was wrong. That wasn’t his way. No, he would find out when Sehun was ready. In the meantime, he sang to him. It almost sounded like a lullaby, but not quite. As long as Sehun focused on his voice, he didn’t feel the open, raw wound in his chest.

He was so focused on Yixing that he barely noticed when Kris opened his driver’s side door and carefully pulled him out, settling him into the back seat of Junmyeon’s car gently. His big hands buckled him up securely before he climbed back into the passenger seat.

Junmyeon drove white knuckled, his panic over his youngest boy’s pain causing a strain on his nerves. He felt better when they’d bundled Sehun in a blanket on the couch, curled between himself and Yixing. Even surrounded by people he loved, Sehun wished for Luhan. Luhan would know what to say, would know what to do. But he would have to make do with Yixing’s gentle songs and Junmyeon’s worried hands and Kris’s warm smile.

He cried for most of the evening. Kris carried him upstairs around midnight, still cocooned in his blanket, and settled him in the middle of the California king bed. Junmyeon slept on his right, Yixing to his left. For all his broken heart, he felt safer and calmer in a bed filled with love, and people who loved him, and people whose heart he hadn’t shattered.

 _Just a sad song with nothing to say_. From a composer, it was one of the most cutting insults Jongin could have dealt him. Just something sad and pathetic with no meaning. Sehun sniffled, and felt Yixing’s hand pet over his hair.

“It’s going to be all right, Sehunnie.” He murmured in his ear. “We’re going to take care of you. Just try to rest.”

When it became clear that he wasn’t going to be able to sleep, Kris got up and found him a sleeping pill. It was like being dragged under against his will, but if he could rest and not be thinking of Jongin for a while, it was a blessing.

\--

Tao took him to work on Monday; Luhan and Minseok took him to their place that night. Wednesday Kyungsoo brought him to work. Jongdae took him home and spent the night. He didn’t even mind when Sehun soaked his shirt with tears. Neither had Luhan, to be fair.

By now, everyone knew that Jongin and Sehun had broken up, badly. Jongin had fallen off the radar completely, and since Sehun was the only one who knew where his house was, there was no one to check on him. Some bitter, broken part of Sehun was glad he was alone.

The rest of his broken pieces missed Jongin and wished he didn’t hurt so much, wished he had believed him that Taemin had asked for his help. Everything hurt, like his bones were made of broken glass and every moment his blood pumped and his lungs filled, he was sliced all over again. Minseok let Sehun stay in the back of the shop, puttering around with the books, and handled most of the retail responsibilities himself.

Sehun hadn’t talked much since he’d spent the night with Junmyeon, Kris, and Yixing. His voice felt a little rusty and raw from misuse when he handed Minseok Taemin’s battered hat and told him he wanted to buy it.

“Why this? Not exactly your style.” Minseok asked, even as he checked the tag on the hat.

“It belonged to someone I knew. I want it.” Sehun shrugged and handed his debit card over to his boss. Minseok didn’t ask any other questions, even though he knew how old that hat was. He just wrapped it up in tissue paper and informed Sehun that Baekhyun and Chanyeol were coming to pick him up for the night. Sehun mumbled his assent and stuck his new purchase into his bag. Chanyeol came up the stairs first, Baekhyun following closely behind.

“Ready, Hunnie?” Chanyeol asked, scooping Sehun under his arm. Baekhyun chucked him under the chin gently. Sehun just nodded and picked up his bag, following them downstairs to their car. The rain had mercifully stopped for once, making it an easy drive to the apartment that Baekhyun and Chanyeol shared.

It was a two bedroom apartment. They slept in one, and used the other as their studio. Chanyeol painted on one side, and Baekhyun repaired instruments on the other side. In their living room, up against the wall, they kept two fish tanks. One held different tropical fish that Chanyeol liked to collect. The other held only Ace, the axolotl that Chanyeol had given Baekhyun for their first anniversary. Ace was equally as finicky and delicate as Baekhyun was and was a good project for him.

When Sehun looked at Baekhyun and saw the way he reacted to loud noises, and the scar on his shoulder, he thanked God that his family had been marked for the Sight, not domestic violence. Chanyeol and Baekhyun had both escaped bad families, had run away hand in hand to the little town on the coast. Chanyeol had been hardened by his experience; Baekhyun had been softened. He feared disorder, feared loud noises, feared everything except for their little family. Sehun sat on the couch and pulled Baekhyun into his embrace, snuggling his face up against the older man’s neck. Even as shitty as he felt, he felt protective of Baekhyun.

“Hey little Hunnie.” Baekhyun rubbed his cheek against the top of Sehun’s head. “How are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better.” It was an understatement.

“Well, Channie went out to get us Thai food, and you and I are here alone. What do you want to do?”

“Baek, I hope you know that sounded like an invitation to sex.”

“No, no!” Baekhyun’s eyes were filled with panic, even as Sehun laughed.

“Sorry, my mind’s in the gutter.”

“Why don’t we go play with Ace?” Baekhyun led him over to Ace’s tank, decorated with different plants and a small cave for him to hide in. The axolotl saw them approach the tank and swam up to the glass, little fingers waving in the current of the tank.

“Hey little buddy.” Sehun rubbed his finger on the glass as if he was scratching his tummy. The pink fins on the sides of Ace’s head made him look like one of those scary dinosaurs from Jurassic Park, but he seemed to have a permanent smile on his face. Chanyeol had been smart to get a finicky, permanently happy pet for Baekhyun, especially since they couldn’t have anything else. Chanyeol was allergic to cats and Baekhyun was afraid of dogs.

“See, Uncle Sehunnie loves you.” Baekhyun cooed. “Not like mean old Uncle Tao.”

“Tao just doesn’t like amphibians.”

“Well, I hate his dog, so I guess we’re even.” Baekhyun smiled at Sehun. “Do you want to see him have some fun?”

“Of course, I love Ace. He’s the nephew I’ve never had.” Sehun watched as Baekhyun fumbled around in the back of the tank for a moment. Then he switched something on that made bubbles shoot out of a tube. Ace immediately started trying to catch them in his mouth, little body flailing as he played. Sehun cracked a smile watching him. Baekhyun, ever the careful parent, didn’t want Ace to get too stressed and turned off the bubbles after a little while. It had still improved Sehun’s mood a little.

Not as much as the Thai food that Chanyeol brought back, and the weed that they smoked afterwards. Sehun had been expecting to sleep on the couch afterwards, after all of them were literally too high to move, let alone drive, but the two of them hauled them to their bed. Baekhyun slept in the middle of them.

Sehun had grown to appreciate his friends more in this period of time. Someone must have figured out a schedule of when everyone could take him, because he was never alone. And he never slept alone, which was always the hardest part. He was so used to Jongin it was weird to sleep alone. Even when Baekhyun kicked and Chanyeol snored, and Yixing tickled him awake, and Jongdae drooled all over his pillow.

They were all spoiling him, and Jongin was all alone. Part of that was Sehun’s fault, having helped Taemin move on. But if Jongin wouldn’t pick up the phone, he could damn well stay alone. The roots of anger had started to take hold in the empty chasm of his chest. Jongin couldn’t accept that Taemin would have wanted to leave, so he blamed Sehun. If Sehun was a sad song with nothing to say, Jongin himself was a haunted house. Nothing inside but the spirits of things gone before.

\--

By the time it was Junmyeon’s turn to take him again, Sehun had had enough. He knew there was a way to fix what had happened, and the only way to do it was to go through Amber. Her book on spirits had helped him send Taemin on; there had to be a way to get him back.

So he left work early and showed up at her apartment on her day off, the book clutched against his chest. She answered the door in her pajamas, Bergamot twining around her feet.

“I better put the kettle on.” She muttered, looking at Sehun’s face. He waited until she’d poured two cups of tea to tell her what had happened, from start to finish.

“And you want to call him back to prove to Jongin that you didn’t just exorcise his best friend because you were jealous.” She said, stirring her tea idly.

“Basically, yes. And so they can say goodbye to each other. I thought about it from his point of view. It would be like if someone had sent you away without giving us a chance to say goodbye.”

She sighed. “Hunnie, it’s not polite to pull spirits out of the beyond.”

“I know, but it’s the only way to fix things.” Sehun flipped through the book and turned it so Amber could see it. “All I have to do is call him into the circle, right?”

She shook her head. “No. I’ll have to help you.” She pulled the book closer to look at it carefully. “I think I can get a hold of these ingredients today, if I’m lucky.”

“Okay. I’ll…wait for you at home I guess.”

“Meditate. It’ll help you focus your energies better.”

Sehun didn’t think he could meditate. He was antsy the whole time he waited for Amber to call. They would have to hope that Jongin was keeping the appointment that Sehun knew he had set up a few weeks before to get his blood labs done. With any luck, he’d be out of the house and they could get in and set up and have Taemin there by the time he got back.

As the time ticked away and Sehun knew Jongin had already left, his nerves grew stronger. He nearly yelped in surprise when someone knocked on his apartment door. Amber was on the other side, mouth furrowed into a line.

“I’m not happy. Let’s go.” Amber tugged him out of the apartment.

“We don’t have a lot of time.” Sehun let her drive, as she drove much faster than he did. They made it to the cottage in record time. It was blessedly dark inside, and Jongin’s car was gone, but he had no way to get in. Desperation made him wrap his fist in his jacket and punch through the small window by the door.

“This feels illegal.” Amber commented drily, watching Sehun shake his hand out.

“We’re about to summon a ghost back from the beyond and you’re worried about the legality of breaking into my boyfriend’s isolated cottage?” He reached through the broken window and unlatched the door, swinging it open for them.

“I forgot, we’re on a mission.”

“Exactly. Now come on, we don’t have a lot of time before he gets back.” Sehun rolled Jongin’s rug off to the side, clearing the space for Amber to make the circle in chalk. The white candles gave off an eerie glow in the twilight darkness as Sehun arranged them on the perimeter of the circle. “You’ve got the stuff?”

“It wasn’t easy to get a hold of this stuff short notice, but I’ve got it.” Amber opened the container she’d brought along. “Amaranth, poplar buds, dandelion root, and sweetgrass.”

“And we’ve got the personal belonging.” He pulled Taemin’s battered hat out of his bag, placing it in the center of the circle. Amber lit the herbs, blowing gently on them to help them burn. They let out a soft gray smoke, curling around them as they sat cross legged in the center of the circle. They held hands across the bowl of smoldering herbs and Taemin’s hat.

“Ready?” Amber asked. Sehun knew it was more than just asking him if he was ready to start the incantation. They were yanking Taemin out of his afterlife; it was a choice he had to be sure of.

Taking a deep breath, he nodded. “Let’s do it.”

A car approached as they began the chant, eyes shut tight.

“Hear these words, hear my cry, spirit from the other side. Come to me, I summon thee, cross now the great divide.”

The first chant did nothing. Heavy footsteps came up the porch stairs and there was a muffled, “what the hell?” as Jongin noticed the broken window. Amber and Sehun started the chant again, and the smoke curled up between them in a cylinder. Sehun’s ears rang.

“What the fuck?” Jongin demanded, walking into his living room to see the séance taking place. “Sehun, what are you doing?”

Sehun ignored him in favor of chanting with Amber. The ringing in his ears grew stronger, and then the smoke blew out over them like a mushroom cloud. Sehun coughed, blinking hard to clear his eyes to see if Taemin had appeared.

And he had. He hovered above them, bathed in a light he had never had before. He looked calmer, happier. He had been at peace. Guilt twisted in Sehun’s gut as he looked at him.

“What am I doing here?” Taemin asked, looking down at them. “Sehun?”

“I called you back, Taemin.” Sehun wiped his sweaty palms on his thighs. “Jongin…needed to say goodbye.” Taemin finally turned his attention to Jongin, who was standing in the doorway of his living room with one hand over his mouth and tears threatening to spill out of his eyes.

“Kai?” Taemin said softly, reaching out towards him. It didn’t seem like he could leave the confines of the circle.

“You left me, Tae. You didn’t even say goodbye.” Jongin sobbed.

“I had to leave, sweetheart.”

“I thought Sehun had sent you away! How could you let me think that?”

Taemin frowned. “Didn’t he tell you I had asked for his help?”

“I did. But he didn’t believe me.” Sehun said quietly. “That’s why I had to call you back.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I could have been here with you.” Jongin wiped his eyes angrily.

“But you would never have let me go, Jongin. I’ve been with you your whole life.” Taemin glanced at Sehun. “But it’s time to move on, for both of us. You’ve got the life I always wished I’d had when I was alive, and you need to live it, savor it, while you can.”

“Are you…are you happy there?” Jongin sniffled, hugging himself. Sehun wished he could have held him, but didn’t dare leave the circle.

“It’s peaceful. It’s warm. It’s exactly where I want to be.” Taemin smiled gently. “Don’t cry Jongin. I’ve been dead for forty years. Sehun just helped me move to the right place, that’s all. I’ll always be with you.”

“I’ll miss you.”

“And I’ll miss you too. But I’ll never be far away. I promise.” Taemin looked down at Sehun. “Can you send me back?”

“I can.” Sehun wiped a stray tear away. “Are you ready?”

“I’m ready to go back.” Taemin put one hand over his heart, looking Jongin in the eyes. “I’ll never be far. Goodbye, Jongin.”

“Goodbye, Taemin.” Jongin watched as Sehun held up the bowl of herbs and blew them out. Taemin disappeared with the fading smoke, curling back away to where he’d come from.

Jongin collapsed where he was, holding his knees to his chest and crying. Sehun jumped out of the circle of candles and went to him, cradling him against his chest.

“I’m sorry baby, I’m so sorry.” Sehun murmured, rocking him gently. Jongin wailed into his shirt, a broken sound of loss. Amber winced, turning her attention back to the candles. Sehun focused on his boyfriend, the shaken, broken heap of him that was left in his arms, and blocked everything else out.

The sun had gone down completely by the time Jongin raised his head. “Thank you,” he gasped out, wiping his eyes on his soggy sleeve.

“For what?” Sehun knew he couldn’t mean just the comforting hold.

“For sending him to peace. And then bringing him back, for me.” Jongin traced under Sehun’s eye, following the path of the purpling veins. “You’re hurt. And you’re hurt because you wanted me to say goodbye.”

“I couldn’t live with you thinking that I had gotten rid of him.”

“I should have believed you. I should have known he would have asked for your help.” He raised his bloodshot eyes to Sehun’s tired ones. “I’m sorry, Sehun.”

“I forgive you.” And he did. “Come on, let me make you some tea. Go curl up on the couch.” Sehun wasn’t sure where Amber had gone, or if she was still in the house.

When he walked into the kitchen, he found her with an open briefcase full of herbs and bottled spices, stirring something in a small pot. It smelled soothing, like the patter of a light rain on a roof when he was wrapped up in a warm blanket.

“What is this?” Sehun asked, peering into the pot. It was full of purple, syrupy liquid.

“Leftover poplar buds and amaranth. Good for calling the spirits and mending a broken heart.” She picked up the spoon, watching the thick liquid drip back down. “It’ll help him sleep, help his heart heal a little.”

“And what’s that?” He pointed at the pot simmering on the back burner, a lid tightly fastened over it.

“That’s for you. Hyacinth, orange blossoms, and liquor.”

“I love you, Amber.”

“I love you too. Which is why I risked both of our asses bringing the ghost back.” She checked the time on her phone. “I’m going to head out and leave you two alone. Don’t forget to burn some sage in the morning when you get up.”

“Will do. Thank you for everything.”

“No problem. Get some rest.” She kissed him on the forehead before leaving quietly. Sehun poured the purple liquid into a mug and brought it out to Jongin, who stared at it nervously.

“What’s in that?” He asked, accepting the mug cautiously.

“Some herbs and a little magic. Amber made it for you, to help your heart.” Sehun brought out the mug of the mixture she’d made for him, an orange-y, syrupy sweet mess. He still took a big glug of the warm liquid, letting it coat his throat like honey. Seeing Sehun openly accept it helped Jongin take a drink himself. He made a face at the taste and had to swallow a few times to get it down, but it filled his aching, empty chest with a tiny ember, something that could grow into a warm fire if he let it.

The two of them sat there, drinking their potions and letting the magic work its way through their veins, not talking about what had happened. Not until Jongin had swallowed the last of the purple syrup, tasting violets on his tongue.

“I’m sorry Sehun. For not believing you, and for saying those awful things to you.” Jongin took Sehun’s hand in his. “Can you forgive me?”

“I can. If Taemin hadn’t asked me not to tell you, I would have told you immediately.”

“I know. You did the right thing.” He looked at Sehun’s tired face. “That took a lot out of you, didn’t you?”

“I’m not a magic user like Amber. I can use the herbs, can say the words, and they work, but they don’t come naturally to me. It’s like trying to breathe underwater. Amber’s got a set of gills, and I don’t.”

“I don’t think she’d be very happy hearing that you think she has gills.”

Sehun giggled, feeling the effects of the liquor. “It was the metaphor that came to mind.”

“Why don’t I take you to bed? We’ve both had a rough day.” Arms wrapped around each other, they stumbled into the bedroom and collapsed on the mattress, wiggling out of their clothes the best they could while horizontal.

“I love you, Jongin.” Sehun murmured in the darkness.

“I love you too, Sehun.”

Drowsily, Sehun pressed a kiss to the back of his hand. “The hat in the living room is Taemin’s. It’s yours, if you want it.”

“I’d love to have it.”

“Then it’s yours.” Sehun rolled over, pressing his cheek against Jongin’s bronzed shoulder. They fell asleep, tangled up in each other. Broken hearts didn’t heal easily, but Amber’s magic helped knit them back together.

\--

“So this is the mysterious cottage.” Luhan commented, joining the pile of bodies on the couch. “It’s less of a sex dungeon than I thought it would be.”

“Lu!” Minseok scolded.

“Well it’s true. What else could you have in here that would be so bad?” Luhan shrugged. “It’s a cute place, Jongin.”

“It could use some help.” Junmyeon muttered. Sehun could already tell that he was dying to get his hands on the place and give it some of his interior decorating touch. For as messy as he was, Junmyeon had an eye for decorating. Yixing ended up doing most of the cleaning.

“Taozi, this means you’re next for opening up your house.” Kris poked Tao in the back of the head.

“My place is like a shoe! Where do you think we’re going to fit twelve people?” Tao grumbled.

“As it is, we’re lucky Soo and Baekhyun and Chanyeol couldn’t make it.” Sehun piped up. “This place is going to be cramped as hell.”

“Jongin doesn’t have a dining room table, does he?” Junmyeon asked him quietly.

“No. Where would he put it?” There wasn’t room in the cottage for it.

“What’s for dinner? Some of us are still growing boys.” Jongdae rubbed his belly.

“You eat so much of your own baking that I’m surprised you haven’t turned into the Pillsbury Dough Boy himself.” Jongin said, emerging from the kitchen. “Pizza’s on the way. Should be about twenty minutes.” He ignored Junmyeon’s appalled gasp and dogpiled on top of Sehun, pinning his boyfriend flat to the floor.

“Can’t breathe.” Sehun wheezed, shoving him off and onto Jongdae’s legs. It quickly turned into a nine person wrestling match that had to be called a draw when the pizza arrived.

It was a much more informal family dinner than the kind they had at Junmyeon, Kris, and Yixing’s house. They ate pizza off paper plates on the living room floor, half piled on top of each other as they sat. They even watched a movie using Jongin’s projector screen, all curled up together in blankets and snuggled up tight.

“Hey, isn’t that the hat that was in the shop?” Minseok asked when the lights came back on, pointing at the cap in its place of honor in the display shelves.

“Yeah it is.” Jongin said, breaking in smoothly before Sehun could come up with a lie. “Hunnie got it for me. It belonged to someone we knew.”

Minseok raised an eyebrow, but didn’t press the subject. Instead, he helped everyone prepare mugs of hot chocolate, some of them spiked with whiskey, and rejoined the blanket nest.

Even with their missing members, Sehun had never felt closer to his little family, not even when they were taking care of him. Maybe it was because Jongin was by his side again. Not just by his side, but looking at him with pride, with love, with understanding. Everything Sehun had feared only months before had fallen away, leaving only the two of them, and the ghosts they’d face down together in the future.

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to my beloved Dani, who never turns down a chance for me to make her emo.


End file.
